The Camping Trip
by cheri1
Summary: 10/Rain Alan/Rose Part of my Something Old, Something New series. The Doctor and Alan have taken their wives and families for a little camping trip but something special awaits all of them. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Okay," the Doctor said as they emerged from the TARDIS. "I believe I told you we would have a fun day camping on Sirius Five and I believe I have delivered on this promise!"

He turned and looked at his family. Behind him were his ten year old triplets, Rain, Tara, Alan, Rose and ten year old Christopher.

"Yes, I believe I have delivered on that promise," he repeated.

"Uh huh, and what do ya want? A pat on the back?" Rose said while everyone giggled.

"No, money and lots of it," the Doctor said, holding his hand out. "Come on, come on, come on, make with the dinero, loot, dough, scratch, credits, pesos, pounds, whatever ya got to give me."

He glanced down when Sokanon put a gold doubloon in his hand.

"Um, Soki, this is from the game room inside Pirate Pleasure Palace. It's not real."

"That's all I have," Soki said as they laughed.

"Well, fine, the children are excused but what about the adults? Come on, I've ferried your bums across time and space for over two hundred years, it's time you paid me for the privilege."

"Come along, children, let's go find out where we can rent tents," Rain said, putting her hands on Chaska and Christopher's backs.

"Bye Daddy!" Sokanon and Namid said as they started to walk off.

"Wah, wait, wait, shhh, shh, shh," the Doctor said, stepping in front of them. "First off, we are not paying for tents, they cost a fortune. Secondly, I didn't give anyone here permission to leave. Permission will be granted when the toll is paid, so pay up."

His eyes warily studied Rose as she walked up to him. She walked behind him and he let out a grunt when she kicked him in the butt.

"There, there's your flippin' toll," she said.

Everyone laughed when the Doctor let out a roar and took off after her.

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In addition to the forest where people were permitted to camp, there was a small flat plain where the management had set up several shops and restaurants, a playground, a large white stage, a white gazebo with ivy vines going up the sides, restrooms and a few video phones. A sign hung between two trees at the front of the plain said, Welcome to Corrie's Camptown.

"Camptown ladies sing this song, do-dah, do-dah," the Doctor sang to himself as they passed under the sign.

They walked over to the playground, the adults carrying four large black gym bags, and let the children play on the slide, climbing frame, swings and merry-go-round while they sat down on a bench. Sokanon led her sister over to the swings and both of them sat down. They swung side by side while the boys climbed on the climbing frame. While they were resting, the Doctor pulled out a small piece of paper and studied it. The paper listed the zone where they were allowed to camp, a schedule of events at the campground and the rules.

"Good, we're allowed to barbecue," the Doctor said to the other adults. "According to this they have a grill set up at the campsite."

"Good job we brought along some food in addition to our camping supplies," Alan said, patting the side of his duffle bag.

"Also says they have a puppet show and dancers tonight on that stage we saw and tomorrow there's a small band concert in the gazebo," he read them. "I think the children will enjoy all of those."

"Sod the children, I wanna see those things," Alan said. "Well…maybe not the dancers…but the puppet show and band sound lovely."

"Puppet show?"

They looked over when Namid and Sokanon walked up to them.

"What puppet show, Daddy?" Sokanon said.

"There's gonna be a puppet show and dancers tonight on the stage we went past," the Doctor said.

"What's the puppet show about, Daddy?" Namid said, coming to his side.

"Oh…about thirty minutes, give or take."

He snickered when Namid slapped his arm playfully.

"Dunno, Rainbow, doesn't say what the puppet show's about, just that there's a puppet show," he said to her.

"I wanna go, Daddy," Sokanon said, jumping up and down.

"Go where?" Chaska said as he and Christopher came over.

The Doctor repeated what he told the others and both boys made a face.

"I don't wanna see any of that, Daddy," Chaska said.

"Yeah, all that's for girls," Christopher added. "I wanna see ninjas or something."

"Sorry, Chris, I don't believe they have ninjas in Corrie's Camptown," the Doctor said. "But we'll find something for the boys to do. In the meantime, let's get our gear and get outta here!"

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After hopping aboard a tram, the driver took them along a dirt road deep into the woods and guided them to the zone where they could set up their tents. The clearing had a barbecue grill and a port-a-loo near the edge but that was it. The Doctor thanked their guide and he left them alone. The adults waited until they were sure he was gone before reaching into their bigger on the inside gym bags and pulling out their wrapped up tent, gear and food for the barbecue. The children stood back as the adults set up the tent which was also bigger on the inside and waited until they were finished before going in. Inside, the back of the tan tent was about fifty feet away from the entrance with a small kitchenette near the back. There was an electrical outlet on the back wall and scattered near the front were the adult and children's sleeping bags that had been put there by the Doctor before he rolled the tent up. Sokanon led her sister over to her Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bag. Next to it was Sokanon's Pocahontas one. They sat down beside them and Namid opened up her sleeping bag and pulled out her Little Mermaid bag that held her CD Player and some audio books that the Doctor got for her to listen to from a special club that makes them for the blind. She ran her fingers over the covers of each one, reading the Braille titles. Finally, she found Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and set it aside while she went through the rest of her audio books looking for one very special one. Her father made it a habit to record special discs for her. He would read books, sing and say silly things and he usually put one new CD in her bag every few days. He also, with the help of the TARDIS, printed out a Braille message for her along with writing notes for Sokanon and Chaska and he also stuck these in their bags. Sokanon and Namid found their letters in their bags and Namid found her CD disc and put it on top of her Harry Potter audio book while she put everything back except for her CD player.

Sokanon unfolded her letter and sat on her sleeping bag while she read it aloud to her sister.

My Soki,

Here I am, putting pen to paper and writing you a note that I know you'll set fire to in under two minutes after reading it.

Both girls giggled for a moment before Sokanon continued reading.

Here we are on a camping trip and I couldn't be more thrilled because I'm here with you sharing the fun and the laughter. I love you so much, my daughter, but bear this in mind. DON'T CROSS ME! DON'T DO ANYTHING TO EMBARRASS ME OR I'LL GIVE YOU SUCH A SPANKING!

Both girls giggled.

HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME! I WILL SEE YOU BEGGING AT MY FEET FOR…oh wait, I forgot for a moment who I was speaking to. Sorry.

Both girls laughed hysterically for a couple of minutes before Sokanon calmed down enough to read again.

Anyway, I love you, my hearts. You make me so proud and I'm so glad that you're here in my life along with your brothers and sisters. JUST DON'T CROSS ME OR I'LL GIVE YOU SUCH A SPANKING AND…oh wait…sorry, I forgot you weren't Abdul, I must remember you're not him. But anyway, have a wonderful day and I'll see you when I can tear you away from your Wii.

Wii, Wii, Wii, all the way home! Ha, I made a funny!

Love and kisses and hugs, hugs, hugs,

Daddy.

Both girls giggled as Sokanon put the letter back in her purple Eeyore bag and set it beside her sleeping bag.

"What's yours say?" Sokanon asked her sister.

Namid unfolded the paper and ran her fingertips over the Braille while she read aloud.

Another one of these?

Arrgh, why did I volunteer to do this. Now I'm stuck writing letters for the three of ya. Next you'll be wanting chocolates every two days and soon it'll be gold and jewels and then you'll be wanting my blood, ya little vampires.

Both girls giggled at that.

Only kidding, after all, this is what I chose to do for you lot. Your mummy gets story time and bedtime kisses and I get letter writing and your special CDs and we both get special outings with all of you. So just taking the time to write you another letter and let you know that I love you so much and you are a part of me and my life just as I'm a part of yours. And you better tell me what you lot talk about when you're saying your secret mumbo jumbo language to each other. I know you're planning to do something nasty to me when you're talking back and forth, aren't ya? Admit it! Admit it!

Both girls glanced at each other and giggled.

Know that every day that you're alive, you make me more and more proud, my daughter. You've come so far in life and I will do everything I can to help you so you'll be a brave, strong, smart independent girl. But I know you're probably reading this aloud to Soki so I'll tell you what I told her. DON'T CROSS ME OR YOU'LL GET SUCH A SPANKING! There, now you can go about your business.

Always in my hearts,

Daddy.

Namid smiled as the put the letter back in her bag. Sokanon pulled out her Wii and played with it while Namid inserted the Doctor's disc in her CD player, slipped on the headphones and pressed the play button. Her brother and sister understood that these CDs were a private thing between her and the Doctor so they never asked her what was on them. To make up for it, the Doctor did other things for them and bought them toys so they wouldn't feel slighted that he had made the CD just for her. Namid settled back and listened to the CD while Sokanon played her game.

"Boop-a-doop-doop-doopa-doo-doo-doo," the Doctor said in a high-pitched voice. "It's the Doctor show starring me, the Doctor, daddy to my little Mi-mi who is listening to this right now! Ba-bop-ba-doo-doo-wow! And first up on our show is Lord Ruffington who has flown all the way in from who knows where! Give him a big round of applause!

Namid giggled when the Doctor applauded enthusiastically and yelled, "Yay Lord Ruffington!"

"Lord Ruffington, nice to meet you, old chap!"

Namid giggled harder when the Doctor cleared his throat as loud as he could.

"Yes, quite, quite," the Doctor said in a deep, gravelly voice. "I'm chuffed to be here, Doctor. Especially since you're a busy man."

"Yes, I am," the Doctor said in his normal voice. "I'm very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very…well, you get the idea. Anyway, old bean, why have you popped into my TARDIS today and how in the name of all that's sacred did you get in here when it's currently in the vortex?"

"Magic, old fruit!" the Doctor replied in his Lord Ruffington voice. "I'm a magical being, besides you were drunk and opened the door for me before you left."

"Did I?" the Doctor said in his normal voice. "Yes, that's right, I got smashed on dandelion wine and opened the door. Now I remember. I must have been amiss letting you in here especially since you have a rather large gun pointed at my chest."

"Spot on, old bean," he said in his Lord Ruffington voice. "And now I'm going to kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill you!"

"No! No, a thousand times, no!" the Doctor said melodramatically as Namid giggled. "Don't kill me, think of my children! Who will they have to irritate if I snuff it!"

"Bad luck I'm afraid, old corpse, I'm going to pull the trigger and do you in."

"No, no, have mer…"

Namid laughed when the Doctor yelled, "BANG!"

"Oh no," he said in his normal voice. "I'm regenerating! Oh what a world, what a world, who would have thought a snobby toft like you could destroy my supreme awesomeness. Oh look out, look out; I'm going, ooooooooh…"

Namid laughed harder when the Doctor said in a deep voice, "You killed him, you killed the wicked Time Lord of the West. Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Time Lord's dead! Hail, hail to Dorothy, the wicked…no wait, look, he's regenerating!"

The Doctor made a loud static noise into the microphone.

"Look," he said in the deep voice. "He's finished and…no, it can't be! Oh…saints preserve us; he's regenerated into…HANNAH MONTANA!"

Namid bent over laughing at that. She laughed harder when the Doctor began to sing Best of Both Worlds in a screechy falsetto voice.

"HI!" he said in the falsetto voice. "I'M HANNAH! I'M EVERY GIRL'S BEST FRIEND!"

The Doctor chuckled into the microphone.

"I'll have to stop there, Rainbow," he said. "Because, frankly, I've never watched Hannah Montana so I don't know what she does or how she acts. The only reason I know the song is because your sister Tara used to play it constantly when she traveled with me. Oh, my Rainbow, that was such a long time ago. Decades before you came along."

Namid smiled. She loved these CDs. Not only because her daddy fooled around and acted silly on them but also because she could listen to his voice. He frequently did the radio chat show spoofs along with reading her short stories or telling her a story about his adventures. He had intimate things he did with each of his children and this was hers which was why she didn't tell Sokanon or Chaska about what was on them.

"Now, what's next?" the Doctor said. "Hmm, I s'pose you'd like to hear a story. Let's seeeeeeeeee…what can I tell you about? Oh, I know, I'll tell you the story about Sutekh. That was in my forth life when I traveled with Sarah Jane. Well, let's see…it was an ordinary day in the TARDIS and…"

Namid jumped and gasped. She'd been so engrossed in her father's voice that she didn't notice Rain had knelt down next to her until she put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Oh, Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya," Rain said when she took off the headphones. "Is that your Daddy CD you're listening to?"

Namid nodded.

"Well, Daddy and Alan want to go back to the field and look at the shops for awhile since it's not yet time to eat. You wanna go with us?"

Namid nodded.

"Okay, Sweetie, we're outside when you're ready to go," she said.

She kissed her and nuzzled her nose. Namid turned off her CD player and put it back in her bag along with her Harry Potter audio book. Once she was finished, she picked up her cane, stood up, unfolded it and hurried out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After they put the sonar earpieces in, they walked down the trail back towards the field. The children led the way while the adults walked in back. The Doctor strolled along with Tara while Rose and Rain chatted and Alan walked up to play with the kids.

"I didn't think you'd come with us today, Star," the Doctor said to Tara.

Tara was taken aback.

"What do you mean, Daddy? I love it when I go places with you," she said.

"Yes, but you're an adult now. I figured you'd wanna go out on your own and not be seen with an old codger like me."

"Oh puh-leeze, Daddy," she said while he snickered. "If anything, I get people asking me who my hot boyfriend is."

The Doctor's eyes bulged out of his head while she nodded.

"Yes, Daddy, I do look a lot older now and you don't look that old yourself. And I can't just say to people that's my dad because they'll think you concieved me when you were five."

"I adopted you," the Doctor said.

"Okay, how old was I when you adopted me because there again, you don't look much older than me and I don't think people are gonna buy that you adopted me when I was twenty. You know, Jenny and Dorothy and Emi get the same thing, they've told me so."

"Well, I'm sorry if my curse of the Time Lords is preventing you from telling people that I'm your father," he said to her. "You don't tell them I'm your boyfriend, do you?"

"No, I tell them you're my brother. Adopted brother obviously since you're not Indian."

"You're not either, you're Gallifreyan."

"You know what I mean, smart…butt," she said to him.

"Oh, look who's gone all prim and proper all a' sudden. You don't bat an eyelid at cursing like a drunken sailor when you're with your friends and your sisters but suddenly dear old dad's around and you have to go all Victorian lest he disapprove. I s'pose next you'll be wearing the big black mourning dresses and the fifty foot high hats."

"I was just trying to be polite in front of the children."

She laughed when the Doctor gave her a shocked look.

"And once again, when has the presence of children ever stopped ya, Miss Potty Mouth? You don't think I know how much you swear but I do. Trust me; I keep tabs on all my children, even the adult ones."

"Oh…I thought I saw a skinny man wedged in between our refrigerator and the wall. Must have been dirty standing back there."

She squealed and darted out of the way when the Doctor tried to grab her.

"Gorblimey, no wonder you're not married. I don't think any man would be able to stand being in the same house with you and your gob," he said as she walked back to him. "I always wondered why Phillip felt the need to stay on Unico, now I see why. He'd be tearing his horn out in frustration if he lived with ya."

He grinned when Namid walked back to him and he tapped her on her head.

"And here's another one who'll drive men crazy," he said to her.

"I don't like men, they're yucky," Namid said.

"Oi, I'm a man, you don't like me?"

"No, you're special. I don't like regular men," Namid said.

"Oookay," the Doctor said as the adults laughed. "I don't think I even wanna ask what the difference is between regular and special men."

"Obviously, the special men are the men who love her and the regular men aren't," Tara said.

"And I s'pose the moment she fancies someone, they become a special man then," the Doctor said to Tara.

Tara shrugged and grinned. They both watched as Namid suddenly sprinted away from them, swinging her cane back and forth in front of her like a metronome as she ran down the path.

"Hey, Nigel Mansel, get your butt back here!" Alan said as they laughed.

The children let out whoops and took off after her. The four children ran as fast as they could while the adults strolled along and enjoyed their laughter. The four children chased one another in a circle while they waited for the adults to catch up to them.

"You lot are gonna be shagged out by the time we're ready to go to the puppet show," the Doctor said when Sokanon and Namid started walking beside him.

"That's okay, Daddy, I'll just rest on you and let you show me everything," Namid said.

"I'll show you something but it might not be the same puppet show they're watching," the Doctor replied.

Namid gave out a squeal of delight. The Doctor used the need to mentally show Namid everything to his advantage and showed her really silly and wacky things just so he could delight in her laughter. The Doctor was also very good at imagining scenarios. They had recently taken a trip to the Bahamas to visit the beach for a day of fun and watch the sunset and Namid ended up laughing all night because while the others were watching the sun set, she got to watch a seagull tear off the Doctor's bright red speedo and chase his naked body up and down the beach in fast motion while the Benny Hill theme played. Even though being blind was a challenge, she had to admit it did have its perks.

"Just be careful what you show her at the puppet show, Love, or they might drag her giggling self to the nearest loony bin," Rain teased him.

"Nah, I won't go that far, can't live without a single one of my trio," he said to her.

Namid smiled as the Doctor put his arm around her. Ever since she could remember, the Doctor had always shown her things and she considered that another personal, special thing between the two of them. Up until about a year ago, she thought everyone had the ability to project images into other people's minds since almost everyone on New Gallifrey could do it. Her father had told her before that she had been changed into a Time Lady when she was just a baby along with her brothers, sisters and cousins and she was so glad that her father had done that for her because blind or not, being a Time Lady was the greatest thing in the universe to her.

The Doctor glanced down at Namid and took joy in the huge smile on her face. He was so proud of her. He was proud of all his children. Ten years ago, Callum had nearly torn their family apart but when the dust settled from the chaos, he had three more children to love and cherish as well as nieces and nephews. And although he loved all his children, these three were special because they had come from both him and Rain and it showed. All of his children were becoming tall and gangly just like he was and Christopher was the same way. Rose joked with him that all four were becoming mainly arms and legs now. His son was almost exactly like him now. Confident, self assured with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy. He resembled him except for the darker skin and hair which the Doctor though made him look extremely handsome. He was still prone to outbursts of anger especially when someone did something to Namid. He was extremely protective of her as was Sokanon which filled him with pride. Sokanon looked just like her mother except for the pale skin. To him, it looked like someone had shrank Rain back to a child and drained all the color from her. Her ebony hair that matched her mother's was already down to the middle of her back and it bounced up and down as Sokanon ran and played. Both she and her sister also took after their mother in their empathy for others and gentleness. Sokanon also had a keen sense of humor and loved to tease everyone.

As for Namid, the Doctor was so proud of her, he felt like he could pop. Never once had he ever heard her complain about being blind or throw a pity party because her siblings could see and she couldn't. She just took everything in stride and overcame any obstacle that came her way. The Doctor now felt like a fool for crying when he found out she was blind since she never let that stop her from doing anything. Her family and the TARDIS always figured out a way to include her in everything they did, not just with the mental projections but also with the audio books and they also found a way to include her in games and sports they played. The TARDIS made sports equipment that beeped so she could home in on it and using that, the Doctor and Alan had taught her how to play some of their favorite games. Everything tried to give her as normal a life as they could and treated her no differently from any of the others and through that, Namid was able to grow and gain confidence and now she was no longer as shy as she once was. She also started to poke fun at herself and let everyone else know that it was okay to tease her about being blind. One of her favorite jokes was letting someone point something out to her and she would retort with, yes, I know, I'm not blind! Then after a few seconds she'd say, oh wait, I am blind, my bad and giggle at that while everyone else would smile and tickle her fondly. Because of that, people got over the fear of treating her like a china doll and realized it was okay to joke with her about some things. The Doctor had no doubts that one day, blind or not, she would make a fantastic Time Lady.

They reached the wide plain and headed for the shops. On the way, they passed by the stage and Alan vaulted up onto it.

"To be or not to be, that is the question!" he said melodramatically, thrusting his arms out.

"Boo! Get off the stage, you old hack!" Tara yelled at him.

"I am not a hack, I'm a thespian!" Alan said indignantly. "Aren't I, Rose?"

Everyone laughed when Rose threw up her arms.

"Why do I always get pulled into the middle of everything?" Rose said. "He always ends up including me."

"Because you're my spousal unit and we're joined at the hip."

"Yeah, well I'm findin' a scalpel in one of the shops and unjoining us," she said to him.

She gasped and ran when Alan took a running jump off the stage and pursued her.

"Nope," he yelled as he ran. "Not happenin'. When you married me, it was for life!"

"I know but I didn't say we would be joined at the hip, ya berk!" Rose yelled back.

She squealed when Alan caught up to her, grabbed her around the middle and began to spin as he swung her around.

"But you can't sever our bond," he said as he spun. "How will I live? Especially since you have my kidney inside you?"

The triples squealed with delight and ran over to them. The Doctor smiled at that. Even though Alan acted juvenile at times, he loved that he was so childlike and he knew how much the children adored him. He had so much patience with them. There were times when the Doctor was shagged out and had to muster up the strength to do something with them but Alan was ready to play with them any time they asked. The decision that he had made long ago not to follow in the Doctor's footsteps had caused Alan to become a free spirited, fun loving person and even though people sometimes wished he would grow up a bit more, he knew that Alan kept everyone elses spirits up and helped to keep everyone happy and it allowed the Doctor to loosen up and be a bit more silly and spontaneous with the result that even though he was in his fourteen hundreds now, he never felt his age. Everyone around him helped to keep him that way and he hoped it would never end.

He chuckled when Namid came up behind Alan and slapped him hard on the butt.

"Oi, you come here, Missy, and get what's coming to ya!" Alan said as he chased his giggling daughter around in a circle.

Everyone gasped when Namid's foot connected with a rock and she went sprawling out onto the ground. Alan's playful mood instantly turned serious as he knelt down beside her.

"You alright, Princess?" he asked as the other children gathered around.

"Yeah," she said, getting up on her knees.

She looked around.

"What happened?" she asked as the other adults came up to her.

"Your foot hit a rock, you silly thing," Alan teased.

The Doctor helped Namid to her feet.

"You alright, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, Daddy."

"Good," Alan said. "Don't wanna have to amputate your foot with a butter knife."

"I'll amputate your head, you thing!" Namid said, lunging for him.

She squealed when Alan swooped her up into his arms.

"Guess I'll have to just carry you from now on," he said as he and the others headed towards a shop. "I need to keep a close eye on you so you don't amputate my head."

"No, put me down, Uncle Alan, I can walk," Namid said between giggles.

She paused a moment and thought.

"No wait, carry me, this is nice."

Everyone laughed as Alan feigned exasperation. He sent love into his niece's mind as all of them headed into the nearest shop.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A little bell over the door rang softly as the Doctor opened it and they entered.

"Okay, you, down you go!" Alan said, carefully putting Namid back on her feet.

"Aw, I wanted to stay in your arms. It was nice," she whined.

"Sorry, I need my arms to shop," Alan said. "You are more than capable of using your tootsies, so use them."

"Make me!" she said to him.

She giggled as Alan stared at her in silence.

"Don't give me that dirty look!" Namid said.

Alan was taken aback.

"How'd you know I was giving you a dirty look?" he teased.

"I just know."

The Doctor giggled when Alan waved his hands in front of her face so he could see if she'd respond.

"Quit waving your hands in front of my face!"

Alan was shocked. Then he suddenly searched the minds of his family and noticed Namid and the Doctor's weren't there.

"Wait a tick!" he said as Namid giggled. "Your dad's cheating and showing you what I'm doin', isn't he?"

"Yup," Namid said.

She giggled harder when Alan eyed the Doctor.

"Hey, it was worth it when you stood there and thought for a moment that she could really see ya," he said as he walked away.

"Yeah, yeah, you're a laugh riot, you are," Alan said as the Doctor chuckled and walked over to a credit stick dispenser.

The CSD worked like an ATM and dispensed credit sticks that had varying amounts of credit on them. Everyone gathered round while the Doctor inserted his own credit stick in the hole next to the monitor and selected three credit sticks worth twenty five credits each that he could give to his children. He watched the screen closely making sure he selected the right amount.

"After all, the last time I didn't watch what I was doing with one of these things, ADAM ended up betraying me."

Rose sighed.

"Oh for the love of God, after all these years you're still sore about that?" she said.

"Yes, Rose, I am," the Doctor said. "I shoulda known that little git would do that to me. I had my doubts about him from the beginning but I decided to humor you and take him aboard."

"The place was filling up with cement, he would have died if we hadn't," Rose protested.

"Well, then he wouldn't have nearly got us killed," the Doctor said as the three credits sticks popped out of a hole near the bottom of the machine.

"Who's Adam, Daddy?" Chaska asked.

"An idiot. Much like Mickey was until he became decent," the Doctor said.

He sniggered as Rose gave him a look of death. She shook her head and mumbled, "I don't know about ya sometimes, Doctor," before turning to her husband.

"Would you like to hear a fascinating titbit, my wife?" Alan said to her.

Rose thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Alan smirked.

"Know the reason why we look like this?" he said, pointing to his face.

"Um…no."

"Brother chose to look this way because you fancy the pretty boys."

Rose's mouth dropped open. She turned to the Doctor who was trying to keep a straight face while he passed the credit sticks out to the children.

"Wait a minute, is that true?" Rose said to him.

"Now children, this is all you're getting so spend it wisely," the Doctor said to the triplets while he ignored her.

"Doctor…"

"After all, I'm not made of credits, ya know," he said, ignoring Rose.

"Doctor!"

"And don't spend it all on sweets, we are eating tonight."

"Doctor!"

"Wha-tah!" the Doctor said to Rose as the children giggled.

"Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true. We are eating later on tonight."

"No!" Rose said as everyone laughed. "What Alan just said, is it true?"

The Doctor feigned confusion.

"What'd you say, Brother? Wasn't paying attention," he said as Rose let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told her that Sloths sleep upside down in trees."

"Oh! Well…yes, Rose, it's true."

"You know what he said, ya git!" Rose said as they laughed harder. "You know exactly what he said so answer me!"

The Doctor let out another sigh.

"Well, you know, you did keep running after the pretty ones, Rose, so I knew I had to do something to compete with them."

Rose stared at him in shock.

"You altered your face to something you thought I'd like so I'd fancy you and no one else," she said.

"Well…worked, didn't it? You ended up with me and with someone that looks like me, didn't ya? I recall Mickey was a nonentity in less than a month after I regenerated, yes?"

Rose blushed.

"Well, if you put it that way, you make me sound shallow," she said.

"No, you're not shallow. But…you do seem to have a preference for the pretty boys so in order to compete, I made me look pretty, nuff said. So…anyway…as I was saying, credit sticks are not rechargeable so don't spend all twenty five credits and then come ask for more, is that clear?"

"Yes, Daddy," the children said.

"Good, go and enjoy yourselves and spend wisely and Rose, stop worrying about if you're shallow because I know you're thinking that right now," he said as they laughed.

He gave his sister a kiss on the cheek.

"You're not shallow, Rose," he said softly to her. "You have two of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. I just figured this form would be more pleasing to you and obviously it is so quit worrying."

Rose grinned and tousled his hair while he let out an "Awwww!" and walked off. She looked at Alan who bent his head down and shook his head, letting his tousle sway a bit. Rose giggled and played with it for a moment. She laughed harder when he began to purr and nuzzle up against her.

"Ah, quit that, ya big lummox. You're gonna knock me into the bows and arrows," she said, indicating the display right behind her.

Alan straightened up.

"Ah! Then Cupid's arrow would have pierced your heart and made you fall even more deeply in love with me," he said.

"No, the shop's arrow would have pierced my heart and sent me to A and E," Rose replied.

"That too," Alan said.

He giggled when she swatted his head and gave her a tender kiss on the lips as he put his arm around her.

Meanwhile Namid was walking around, listening to everything and occasionally taking something down from the wall and feeling it. Suddenly, in her mind's eye, she saw the side wall of the store and then she began to giggle when her father walked into view and stood in the center of the projection. She giggled harder when he did nothing but stand there and stare at her intently. Then suddenly, he began to dance around while he sang to her.

"NA NANANANA!"

While he sang and danced around, he began to toss items around with reckless abandon to his daughter's delight.

"OOOOH, WE GOT A LOT OF ITEMS AT THE STORE, STORE, STORE AND PRETTY SOON WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME MORE, MORE, MORE. ALL OF THE ITEMS YOU COULD EVER WISH TO BUY ARE RIGHT HERE FOR PERUSING SO OH ME, OH MY!"

Namid bent over laughing as the mental Doctor grabbed some chainsaws, turned them on and began to juggle them as he continued to sing and dance.

"TONS AND TONS OF ITEMS FOR ALL YOU GALS AND GUYS INCLUDING HUMONGOID PANTIES FOR THOSE BIG, FAT THIGHS!"

By now, the elderly man up at the cash register noticed Namid was laughing hysterically at what seemed to be nothing. Behind her, Rain and everyone else was sniggering while the Doctor stood calmly behind his daughter with his hands behind his back as he concentrated on her mind.

In Namid's mind, the Doctor dropped the chainsaws on the floor and they buzzed away out of view before he walked off to the right out of his daughter's view. He returned with a flaming torch and set fire to the walls and the floor in front of him before he resumed dancing and singing with torch in hand.

"OH, HERE WE ARE, RIGHT HERE AT THE STORE, STORE, STORE AND I JUST SET FIRE TO THE WALLS AND FLOOR. AND NOW WE'RE GONNA WATCH THE SHOP JUST BURN RIGHT TO THE GROUND. CAUSE I'M THE KOOKIEST DADDY IN THIS WHOLE FLIPPIN' TOWN!"

Namid snorted out laughter as the mental Doctor walked out of view and came back with a frankfurter on a stick. He whistled out his tune while he stuck the frankfurter into the fire. He looked back over his shoulder at Namid.

"Nothing like wall cooked hot doggies, eh, Rainbow?" he said with a maniacal look on his face.

The Doctor got a puzzled look on his face when he heard the buzzing sound returning. He looked to his right and let out a girly scream as the chainsaws buzzed towards him. He dropped the frankfurter on the ground and ran while the chainsaws pursued him. Then suddenly, the Benny Hill theme began and the Doctor and chainsaws kicked into fast motion as Namid bent over laughing.

In the real world, Rain watched as her daughter laughed uncontrollably.

"Dear God, what are you showing this poor girl?" she said to the Doctor.

The Doctor gave her a look of innocence.

"Nothing much," he said, shrugging.

He hugged Namid tightly from behind and gave her a kiss on the head while he let her calm down. Once she was calm, the Doctor took her hand and the two of them walked around while he let her shop.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

All of them walked around the shop while they browsed through the items. However most of the things were camping equipment which disappointed the children. The Doctor was not only busy showing Namid what the items were but explaining to her and her brother and sister what most of them did. While he was doing that, Alan was browsing with Rose and Rain and Tara were chatting.

Alan glanced over at the triplets and grinned. Just like the Doctor, he delighted in making up crazy scenarios but he usually showed all of them what he had dreamed up and not just Namid. He paused a moment while he thought up something to show them and then smiled as he concentrated on their young minds.

The four children were standing beside one another when suddenly in their mind's eye; they saw the wall they were standing in front of. They giggled when they suddenly saw Alan's head slowly inching its way into the right side of the image. Alan's head slowly came into view until it reached his eyes and then he stopped and stared at them. The four of them giggled when Alan held his left arm out. In his hand was a large cardboard sign affixed to a small piece of wood. The sign said…

HELLO THERE.

"Hi!" the children said as the Doctor chuckled.

Keeping his head in the same position, Alan hid the sign from them. He stared at them for a moment and then held the sign up again. Except this time the sign read…

I LOVE YOU!

He hid the sign and stared at them.

"Come out, Uncle Alan," Chaska said aloud.

Mental Alan's eyes widened and he held the sign up.

I'M SCARED TO COME OUT!

"Come out, Uncle Alan," Sokanon said aloud.

Rain and Tara came up behind the Doctor. Rain leaned into his ear.

"The store clerk is giving them odd looks. I'm wondering after Namid's laughing fit if we should go before he calls the psych ward," she said.

The Doctor glanced at the man behind the counter and saw the odd look on his face.

"I think you're right," he said to Rain. "Come on, kids, you can play with Alan while we walk around.

The children followed them while Alan and Rose turned and walked out ahead of them. While they were doing that, Alan kept up his mental scenario. In the scenario, Alan still kept his head in the same place with only the eyes peeking out but he held the sign up again for them to see.

WILL YOU PROTECT ME IF I COME OUT?

"Yes," the children said aloud as everyone walked towards the next shop.

Alan stared at them for a moment and then slowly inched out of the corner. He moved forward until his chin was showing and then stopped and stared at them with wide frightened eyes. He held up the sign.

I'M TOO SCARED TO GO FURTHER!

Sokanon looked at the Doctor.

"Daddy, Uncle Alan's hiding and he's scared to come out."

They stopped a moment. The women went ahead and went inside the shop while the Doctor linked his mind to Alan's so he could see what was going on. The children laughed when the Doctor walked in from the other side of the vision and stopped in front of Alan who was now back to the way he was before with only his eyes peeking out.

"What's all this then?" he said to mental Alan. "You're scared?"

Alan nodded and his head shook as he trembled. The Doctor turned his face towards the children's point of view and spun his finger around and around his head. Alan stared at him, leaned his face out till they could see the top of his shoulders and nodded emphatically at that before he went back to the way he was before.

"I see I shall have to draw you out then," the Doctor said to mental Alan.

Alan watched as the Doctor walked off and vanished from view. He stuck his head out until all of it was showing and scratched his head. He looked at the children and held up the sign.

WHAT'D HE MEAN BY THAT? It said.

The Doctor returned a moment later with a mental projection of Rose. Alan watched quietly as the Doctor made a long lacquer box appear. It was resting on a long table and was painted a pretty pink color with blue swirls. The mental projection of Rose stood by the Doctor as he opened two lids on the top of the box. He picked Rose up and put her inside the long box. Rose stuck her head and feet out through holes in the sides as the Doctor shut the lids and locked them with padlocks. Then he walked out of view. Alan walked out of the corner and came over to the box. He stared at the mental projection of his wife who was calmly resting inside the box. He looked at the children and shrugged as the children giggled. Then the Doctor returned and Alan's mouth dropped open when he saw him carrying a large saw in his hand. He shoved Alan out of the way and proceeded to saw Rose in half through the middle. After he finished sawing, he split the halves apart and grabbed the half with the head and torso.

"Goodbye, Brother, enjoy the butt and legs," he said as he walked off with his half of the box.

"Hey!" Alan said as the children laughed.

Alan put his hands on his hips and gave the children an incensed look.

"He…she…it…" he said as the children laughed.

He opened the lid on the remaining half of the box and stared down at what was inside.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he yelled to the absent Doctor. "Good job you didn't have a saw the day you dumped us out on Bay Wolf Bay because me and Jackie woulda been peeved at ya!"

He stared off in the distance.

"Hello? Hey! I'd like the top half of my wife back now, please, Sir," Alan said as the children laughed. "This isn't funny. I'm gonna go get your wife, put her in a cement mixer and see how you like it! Hey! Get your butt back here and give me back Rose! I'm not gonna spend the centuries being married to a pair of legs!"

The Doctor walked back into view and held out his hand.

"Give me one hundred thousand pounds and I'll put your wife back together again," he said.

"One hundred thousand pounds! That's daylight robbery!"

The Doctor shrugged.

"I'm assuming that's a small price to pay so Rose can have a torso and head again."

Alan looked at his empty hands.

"What'd you do with her, just out of curiosity?"

The scene suddenly shifted and Alan was standing in front of a long table. Rose was standing upright in the center of the table with candles around her and a large apple wedged in her mouth. The Doctor was at the other end of the table dining with Jack, Donna, Martha and Rain.

"I have to say, Doctor, love the new centerpiece," Jack said, gesturing to Rose.

"Oi, get my wife down from there! She is not a centerpiece!" Alan said to the Doctor while the children giggled. "And get the apple out of her mouth as well!"

"Sorry, mate, had to do that to shut her up. You know your wife runs her gob incessantly," the Doctor replied.

"What? How dare you insult my half a wife, this calls for a duel!"

The Doctor shrugged. He stood up and the scenario changed. Now it was just the two of them standing out in an open field. The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and whipped out his little yellow water pistol. Alan waved his hands and a large iron cannon appeared in front of him. The Doctor stared at it open-mouthed as Alan grabbed the string that would fire the weapon.

"But…I thought it was water pistols," the Doctor said. "This is bad form, Alan."

"No, it was bad form when you sawed my wife in two like a wooden plank. Now you must pay. So prepare to run, Skinny, cause here comes the cannonball."

The children laughed as the Doctor ran away in fast motion to the Benny Hill theme music. Alan pulled the string and with a KA-POW a large cannonball sailed up into the air and bonked the Doctor directly on the head with a tiny ping! The Doctor swayed around a moment and then came staggering back to Alan.

"Brother! You won't believe this but look…" the Doctor said in amazement as he pointed at the air in front of his face. "I see little TARDISes all spinning around my head, I counted five…no six of them. Six tiny spinning TARDISes, isn't that brill…"

The children laughed as the Doctor suddenly fell flat on his face with a huge THUNK! Alan leaned over.

"That'll teach ya to saw other men's wives in half. Ha!"

He leaned back up and thought to himself.

"Now… how to put Rose back together…" he mused as he walked off.

The scenario ended and the four children laughed and clapped as the two men bowed.

"There, we've provided you some entertainment for today," the real Alan said to them.

"Yes, we're happy you enjoyed our little panto in your minds," the real Doctor added.

"Can we go shop now, Daddy?" Sokanon said.

"Yeah, I wanna spend my credits!" Christopher added.

The two brothers stared at them quietly.

"Boy, they have short attention spans, don't they?" the Doctor said to Alan.

"That they do. Well…come on then, let's join the others in the shop," Alan replied.

He took Christopher's hand and gave it a squeeze as the Doctor's children clustered around their father and all of them went into the shop.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

After exploring for about an hour, they headed back down the trail towards their camp. Once they reached it, the Doctor and Alan decided to start up the grill so they would be able to eat before the puppet show. Namid went into the tent and settled down beside her sleeping bag. She was about to get her bag back out when she saw her dad in her mind's eye. He waved at her and smiled.

"Rainbow, could you come back outside? I need your help," he said to her.

"Okay, Daddy," Namid said.

"Thanks," the mental Doctor said with a smile before he vanished.

Namid grabbed her cane and went back outside.

"Thank you. I want you to help me while us men do the bar-b-cuing," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Okay, Daddy."

He led her over to a table and chairs that Alan had set up. On the table was a large red bowl and a large sheet of greaseproof paper.

"Okay, now inside this bowl is the minced burger meat. What I want you to do is make us some patties that we can cook while I get the charcoal lit and on its way. Now…"

He showed her what to do in her mind as well as instructed her on how to roll a bit of meat in her hands and make it into the patty. Once she was sure she knew what to do, he kissed her cheek and let her make the hamburger patties while he went over to the grill. While he and Alan started up the grill, the women and the two boys moved inside the tent to use the small kitchenette to make some other food for the meal. Alan let out a lazy yawn as he grabbed the small sack of charcoal and put some inside the bottom of the grill. At the same time the Doctor stood by with lighter fluid and matches. Alan grinned while he set the sack down by the grill and pointed to his hands.

"You know, if you pour all of that on there," he said, pointing to the lighter fluid, "and light it up; the food will be finished in seconds."

"So will our hair and I think both of our wives will be perturbed if our hair goes up in flames."

"Point taken," Alan said, nodding. "Best to use that fluid sparingly then, Brother."

"Yup," the Doctor said as he poured a small amount onto the charcoal.

He handed the fluid to Alan who went to put it back inside the tent and selected a wooden match from the box. He struck it along the sandpaper on the side and gently lit a few of the briquettes before setting the match inside.

"Phew, something smells," Namid said as she sat at the table.

"I think you smell the lighter fluid, Rainbow," he said as he studied the charcoal.

Satisfied they were burning; he closed the lid and let out a yawn of his own as he sauntered over to inspect his daughter's progress. He smiled and patted her back when he saw her five large patties sitting on the greaseproof paper.

"Excellent work, my daughter," he said to her. "Course I wouldn't have expected any less from you."

Namid giggled as he gave her several kisses on her right cheek. He started to go inside when Chaska and Chris ran outside laughing while they shot at each other with water pistols. He sighed when they tore around the camp with reckless abandon.

"Alright, you two, that's enough. You're gonna run into the grill and get everyone wet," he said to them.

He put his hands on his hips when they completely ignored him.

"Chris, Chaska, stop it!" he said firmly.

He glared at them when they still chased one another. Namid squealed when Chaska shot at Chris and she was caught in the crossfire.

"Right! You forced me to do this!" the Doctor muttered.

Chaska giggled as he shot at his cousin. Suddenly in his mind's eye, his father's face loomed large.

"Chaskalexodrianatodarino! STOP THIS INSTANT!" he bellowed at him.

Chaska gasped and stopped in his tracks. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Christopher stop and knew he had just undergone the same thing. Chaska looked at his father who was glaring at him.

"Sorry, Daddy," he said sheepishly.

"When I tell you to stop, it means stop, it doesn't mean continue tearing around the campsite like a bat outta hell," he said to him. "Now both of you go and find something quieter to do."

They both nodded and went back inside the tent as the Doctor sighed and shook his head. He walked over to Namid who now had ten burgers prepared.

"What am I gonna do with those two, Mi-mi?" he asked her.

Namid paused and thought.

"Are we playing house, Daddy?" she asked.

"House?"

"Yeah, I play house with Soki sometimes and our cousins. We pretend to be a family with the mummy and daddy and kids. Are you the daddy and I'm the mummy and Chas and Chris are our kids?"

The Doctor chuckled.

"Alright, yes, I am," he said, suddenly curious about the game.

"You think you have it rough? I have to slave over a hot stove all day just so you can work and make money for us," Namid said dramatically.

The Doctor sniggered.

"Is that why nothing gets done, my wife? Because you're always cooking?" he said.

"Well, someone's gotta feed your fat face."

"What?" the Doctor said with mock anger as Namid giggled. "Someone's gotta do what now? What was that you said to me?"

Namid threw the ball of hamburger down on the greaseproof paper and threw up her arms.

"You eat us out of house and home, Dear. We're all starving cause you gotta eat up everything in sight."

The Doctor giggled as Alan came up to them and watched with curiosity. He noticed Alan behind him and put his arm around him, drawing him to his side.

"No, Dear, this big lump here is the one that eats us out of house and home," he said to her. "Your son, Alan, is the one that eats and eats and eats. I'm the one that works and works and works."

"Um…'scuse me, but what is this you're doing?"

The Doctor quickly explained what they were doing and Alan snickered.

"You can't accuse me," Alan said in a child's voice. "I'm a gwowing kid, Daddy. I need to eat heaps of things. I have a big stomach."

"I'll say, we have to feed you and feed you," Namid said. "You eat more than an elephant."

"That's cause I am an elephant. I'm your pet, Snuffy, you just think I'm your son," Alan said.

"You see," the Doctor said to Namid as she giggled. "This is why I have to constantly work. Because you had to have a pet elephant!"

"I like Snuffy, he's nice!" Namid protested.

Alan trumpeted like an elephant at the same time Rose came outside with a covered bowl filled with salad.

"What is going on?" Rose said as she set the bowl down on the table. "We can hear ya in there."

"None of your business, my second wife," the Doctor said, turning to her. "Now get in there and do what I told you to do!"

Rose raised her eyebrow as Alan sniggered.

"I'm what now?" Rose said.

"We're playing house," the Doctor said. "Namid's the mummy, I'm the Daddy, this is our pet elephant, Snuffy, and you're Tituba, the Haitian woman I married after I answered an ad for mail order brides. Now, Tituba, go inside and cook my meal."

He, Alan and Namid giggled when Rose gave him an odd look.

"I worry about ya sometimes, Doctor," she muttered as she headed back into the tent.

"None of your cheek, Tituba! Fix me my meal!" the Doctor yelled at her.

"Tituba, that's great!" Alan said, patting him on the back.

"I tell ya, Snuffy, she's got a liberty just coming out here and trying to act like she's a free woman," the Doctor said to him. "I bought and paid for her which means she needs to shut her gob and work."

"Amen. Oops, I mean…"

Namid laughed harder when Alan trumpeted. As she went back to smoothing out her hamburger patty, Rain came outside and walked up to her husband.

"If that's your first wife and Rose is your second, what am I?" she asked him.

"You're Auntie Flim-flam," he said without missing a beat. "You're our barmy relative that lives in the cellar and eats scraps that are left over from Snuffy's meal."

Alan and Namid laughed hysterically as Rain gave him an odd look.

"No wonder everyone on Gallifrey shunned you, I'm sure no one knew what to think of you and your crazy imagination," she said.

"Shut your gob, Auntie Flim-flam or it's back to the cellar with ya!"

Rain smacked his arm and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she went back inside. The Doctor sighed happily and glanced at Alan.

"I quite like this game. I can see why Namid likes to play it," he said to him. "But for now, I must check the charcoal so you take over from here…Dad."

"Yo-ho," Alan said, saluting.

He walked over to Namid and bent down next to her face while she giggled.

"What? What is this? How dare you make the burgers puny!" he said to her.

Namid giggled as he lightly slapped her on the top of the head.

"I will not tolerate small burgers!" he said as he slapped her. "I am Daddy Dearest and there will be no wire hangers in your cupboard, do you hear me?"

"Hey!" Namid said, giggling.

"Don't hey me. There'll be no clothes on wire hangers here!"

"Brother…"

He let up and turned to the Doctor when he felt him tapping his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"She's ten, I doubt she understands the Mommy Dearest bit," he said to him.

"Oh, really? Okay, well, just carry on with burger making then and remember, no wire hangers!" he said sternly as he waggled his finger at her.

Suddenly, they heard Rose scream and the three of them jerked their heads towards the tent.

"WE'RE BEING ATTACKED! CYBERMEN HAVE HID INSIDE THE TENT AND JUST CAME OUT TO WRECK HAVOC!" Alan screamed as he ran over.

He paused at the door and watched as Rose ran out screaming. He waited for the others to run out but he only heard them laughing hysterically.

"Strange, the Cybermen must be using laughing gas this time and Rose escaped it," he muttered.

The Doctor tapped him on the shoulder.

"I have found out the reason why Rose screamed," he said to him.

"Cybermen?" Alan said to him.

"No, something far more sinister and deadly. A tiny brown mouse."

Alan stared at him in disbelief while the Doctor nodded.

"Yes, the Defender of the Earth has just wet her pants at the sight of a tiny rodent," the Doctor said.

Rain came outside, her hands cupped around the mouse.

"Okay, Rose, I have the mouse and I'm gonna let it loose far from the tent so you can come back now," she called out as she walked into the forest.

"No, wait, this has gotta be some sort of joke. The Bad Wolf is afraid of a teeny tiny mouse?" Alan said to the Doctor.

Tara leaned out.

"And not only that, it was a baby mouse," she said before she stuck her head back inside.

"A baby mouse," Alan said to Rose who was emerging from the forest with a beet red face. "You, Rose, are scared of a baby mouse."

"It ran across my foot, Alan."

"And yet, you can stand in front of the Cult of Skaro and taunt them about destroying their emperor and I imagine that was a far worse threat than a little squeaky rodent!" Alan countered.

"I'm sorry, I panicked, won't happen again, Hubby," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

Alan and the Doctor grinned at each other as Rose hurried back inside.

"Yup, never a dull moment round here," the Doctor said to him as he walked over to Namid.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Will you leave me alone?" Rose said.

They were walking back towards the field so they could see the puppet show. On the way, they had all been teasing Rose about being scared of the mouse.

"I'm sorry, Starlight, but you being afraid of an itty bitty mouse is just hilarious," Alan said.

"Yes, especially since it was so small, Rain could cup her hands around it," the Doctor added.

"Give her a werewolf or a Cyberman and she won't bat an eyelid, but a teeny weeny brown mouse. Eeeeek!" Alan yelled as the others laughed.

"Lay off her, Uncle Alan, quit teasing her."

"Thank you, Soki!" Rose said the moment she heard her.

She ran back and embraced her.

"Yes, finally, someone is on my side!" she said.

"Traitor!" Alan yelled as Rose led Sokanon to the front and they walked together.

Rose stopped everyone.

"Okay, wasn't gonna say this but I feel I have to explain why I was scared of that mouse."

Everyone giggled when the Doctor and Alan rushed up and leaned forward until they were inches from her face. Rose rolled her eyes when they froze in an expectant silence. She backed up slightly before she began to speak.

"When I was six, I went to sleep one night and about three in the morning, I felt something walking on my face and when I opened my eyes, this little brown mouse was sitting right on my lips and I about had kittens. Ever since then I've been afraid of mice, okay?"

They laughed when neither brother moved.

"That's all?" the Doctor finally said. "You woke up one night, a mouse was on your face and your whole world shattered at the same time a phobia was created?"

"I was six, Doctor!" he said as everyone bent over laughing. "Come on, weren't you scared of something at six years old?"

"A Garglisnoot."

Rose raised her eyebrow as the others laughed.

"A what?" she said.

"Garglisnoot, they were the bogeymen of Gallifrey. Little weasel-like demons that came along at night and possessed children."

"Oh, they did not, Doctor," Rose said as they laughed harder.

"Yes, they did. They crept along and entered houses and went in through snoring children's mouths. That's why we got a beating whenever we were caught snoring."

"Did you ever see one, Daddy?" Namid said, coming up beside him.

"Yes, I did. He tried to attack my cousin, Frantos," he said, taking her hand as they resumed walking.

"What'd ya do, Daddy?" Chaska asked as he and Christopher came up beside him.

"Well, it was in his cupboard. I went and got a large stick and snuck up on it and beat it to death. He never saw me coming."

"Oooo," Namid, Chaska and Christopher said as Rose glanced at Tara and shook her head.

Sokanon looked back at her father.

"Did one ever possess someone, Daddy?" she asked him.

"Oh, one did long ago, I think. Way before I was born. This old hermit used to tell me stories when I was small and he told me a little boy was possessed by a garglisnoot and murdered everyone in his house."

"And what else did this old hermit tell you, Daddy?" Tara asked.

"Lots of things. Told me all sorts of ghost stories," he replied.

"Tell us one, Daddy," Sokanon said.

"Yeah, tell us something he told you," Chaska added.

"Okay, I'll tell you one tonight when we get back to our camp," the Doctor said.

He grinned when the triplets cheered at that.

Rose suddenly let out a gasp when Alan grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the trees.

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, now I will have my way with you," he said in her ear.

Everyone else stopped and listened.

"Um…we're out here," Tara yelled. "Just in case…you're planning to do something."

Chris ran through the trees.

"ARE YOU AND MUMMY GONNA HAVE SEX, DADDY?" he bellowed.

The adults laughed hysterically as Alan brought his son back over to the path.

"No, we're not having sex. Where did you even hear about that?"

"The telly."

"Oh, well, that figures," Alan muttered, rolling his eyes. "No, I was just joking around with your mum and being silly. We weren't about to have sex. And now that I'm done joking with your mummy, we can continue on to the puppet show."

"Gee, it would have been more entertaining if they'd had sex," Rain muttered in her husband's ear.

The Doctor bit his lip and wrapped his arm around her as they continued toward the field.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they reached the stage, there was a large crowd gathered around the wooden puppet theater that had been set up near the back. Five rows of twenty chairs were in front of it.

"Stay together, kids," the Doctor said as he took Namid's hand. "Okay, Rainbow, three steps in front of you. Ready? One…two…three! There ya go!"

They walked over to the third row and sat down in it. Namid sat on the end with her sister and brother and Chris while the adults sat beside them.

"Daddy, are you gonna do something in our minds?" Sokanon asked him.

"Yup, just as soon as the show starts, I will," the Doctor replied.

The triplets began to speak to one another in their hidden language. The Doctor listened to them for a moment and then looked at Christopher who was sitting beside him.

"You know what that lot's saying to each other?" he asked him.

"No."

"I see, so they don't tell you what they're saying when they speak their mumbo jumbo language, eh?" he said to him as the triplets giggled.

"Nope, I don't know what they're saying," Chris said.

The Doctor looked around and then leaned in to his ear.

"I think they're planning to rub me out," he whispered.

"Really?"

"Yeah, not a word to Bessie," the Doctor said with a wink

He tapped the side of his nose while the other children giggled. He smiled when Chris gave him an odd look.

"Who's Bessie?" he asked.

"Never mind, it was an old radio program in Britain during the forties and fifties," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Point is, I think those three are planning to do me in at some point. So will you protect me from the little murderers?"

Chris giggled.

"Okay, Uncle Doctor," he said to him.

"Brill. Now…just keep those eyes peeled and at the first sign of an attack, jump in front of me and be my human shield!"

He feigned terror when Alan cleared his throat loudly and looked across Rain at him.

"What was that? Sounded like you wanted my son to sacrifice his life for you," Alan said as Rose and Tara laughed.

"Wait a tick, is this your son?" the Doctor said, pointing to Chris. "I'm so sorry, old chap; I thought he was some strange kid that just sat down beside me. Thousand pardons."

Alan looked at Rose who was sitting beside him.

"He was gonna use our son as a human shield. I say we throw his son in a meat mincer and see how he likes it."

"Don't, dear, it'll disrupt family unity," Rose replied, patting him on the knee.

"What?" Alan said as she and Tara bent over laughing. "You're willing to have our son die to preserve family unity, is that what I'm led to understand?"

"Yeah, that's what she said," Tara said.

"Shush it, Tara Firma, before I throw you in a cannon and fertilize the woods with ye."

"Yeah, I'm shaking with terror," Tara said, holding up her hand and showing him how steady it was. "I'm just quaking in my boots!"

Alan looked at Rain who was sitting on the other side of him.

"Hey," he said, poking her arm repeatedly. "Your kid's being mouthy to me, what are you gonna do about it?"

Rain rose from her seat, she fumbled around in her trouser pocket while Alan watched. She took out her magic wallet, fiddled with it and produced twenty dollars.

"Here you go, Honey," she said, handing it to Tara. "I'm proud of you for irritating Uncle Alan. Spend it any way you want."

"Thanks, Mom!" Tara said as everyone except Alan laughed.

She put her wallet back in her pocket, sat back down and with a contented sigh, rested her head on her husband's shoulder while Alan gave her a dirty look.

"Vengeance will be mine," Alan said to her.

Rain let out an exaggerated yawn, raised her head up, poked and prodded the Doctor's shoulder as if she were fluffing it and then put her head back. She hummed loudly and the Doctor sniggered as Alan continued to stare at her.

"Love, there's a weird, beady-eyed man staring at me. Will you poke his eyes out so I don't have to pretend not to notice him," she said in a sleepy voice.

Alan jerked his head back when the Doctor jabbed his finger towards his face.

"Blast, missed. Ah well, I'll try again later," he said, putting his hand back in his lap.

Alan stared at Rain for a moment and then flopped his head down onto her shoulder in imitation of her.

"Love, the beady-eyed man's head is on my shoulder. Would you be a lamb and rip his head off and stuff it down his pants so I won't be bothered?" Rain said sleepily as the children giggled.

"Love," Alan said, imitating her. "I'm a bossy old hag who likes to order you about. Could you get some needle and thread and sew up my gob so the prattling will cease?"

The Doctor clamped his hand over his mouth when Rain jerked her body up and glared at Alan.

"Excuse me? What was that, Weirdo?" she said to Alan.

"I said, quit whinging and irritating the crap outta ya husband, ya daft prune!" Alan said to her.

"Children! Defend me!" Rain said.

The Doctor laughed when all four of her children jumped up and gathered around her and Alan.

"Um…hi?" Alan said hesitantly as the other adults laughed. "Nice children, good, sweet children. I love you all?"

"You leave mummy alone!" Chaska said with his hands on his hips.

"I'd stop if I were you, mate, that's the one with the temper," the Doctor said to him.

"Okay, I'll back off then," Alan said.

"Good, children, take your seats," Rain said.

Alan feigned shock when all of them sat back down.

"Blimey, you got em trained, dontcha?" he said.

He looked at Chris who had been sitting beside the Doctor the entire time.

"And you, you didn't defend me?" he asked him.

"I'm comfortable sitting here, Daddy," he said.

The adults laughed when his mouth dropped open.

"Well, I see I won't be taking you along in the TARDIS then when you get older," he said. "First time a Dalek menaces me…I'm too tired to save you, Daddy, I'll just let him shoot ya."

He looked at Rose.

"Is it too late to put him back in the oven?" he said, gesturing to her stomach, "I don't think he's quite done yet. He's a bit soft in the head."

"No, I don't want back inside me. Too crowded," Rose said. "You'll just have to accept him as is."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Alan muttered as Rose kissed his cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Once everyone had settled into their seats and it had quieted down, the little curtain that draped the hole in the wooden theater parted and everyone clapped as a king and princess puppet appeared. The Doctor and Alan listened to the old Nagelian fairy tale being acted out before the Doctor reached across, nudged his brother and jerked his head over to the children. Alan nodded and both of them concentrated while the women giggled. This time, they allowed the other adults to see what they were doing so everyone could be more entertained than they were by the dull story.

Namid was quietly listening to the story when suddenly the puppet theater appeared in her mind's eye and she giggled in anticipation of what was going to happen next. A moment later, the Doctor appeared off to the right of the vision, hands in pockets, while Alan came up beside him. Both of them stared at the puppets of the princess and a dragon before they glanced at each other and made loud snoring sounds. The Doctor walked over to the theater and entered it through a red curtain in the side. Alan grinned and winked as he followed him in. For a moment, the action continued and then everyone laughed when a little Doctor hand puppet came up beside the Princess. The children laughed as the Doctor hugged the Princess from behind and went past her to the Dragon. A teeny tiny screwdriver appeared in his hand and he aimed it at the Dragon. It turned on and the Dragon burst into several pieces of fabric leaving only a hand. The Doctor bowed at the audience while everyone in his family clapped softly.

Then a puppet of Alan came up beside him. Puppet Doctor and Puppet Alan stared at each other and then began to sway back and forth in a dance. Then they bobbed up and down and swayed again. Then Puppet Alan noticed the Princess and went over to her. He grabbed her and began to knock his head against hers, giving her kisses while Puppet Doctor stopped and watched them. He then went over to his puppet brother and tapped him on the shoulder. When Puppet Alan turned, he jerked him away and grabbed the princess; kissing her while Alan made his puppet mouth drop open in indignation. The children giggled as Puppet Alan vanished for a moment and returned, holding a tiny water pistol in his hand. A teeny stream of water sprayed onto Puppet Doctor's head and he turned and glared at Puppet Alan. He dropped down and Puppet Alan's mouth dropped open when he came up with a tiny fire hose and began to spray him as he ran across the stage. While he was doing that, the Princess left so when he finally turned back to her, she was gone. The children giggled as he began to cry and water poured in two large streams out of his eyes while Violin music played. Puppet Alan came back, saw his brother in tears and went over, patting him on the back and comforting him as the violin music became louder. Then Puppet Alan ducked down and came back with Puppet Rain. Puppet Doctor stopped crying and stared at her. Then he ran over to her and Rain's mouth dropped open when he ripped off her fabric dress and a huge censored box appeared over both of them while Puppet Alan turned to the audience with an evil grin.

"Alright, you, let's keep it clean for the children," Rain said to the Doctor as he sniggered with his eyes closed.

The Doctor and Alan finished with the skit and made themselves disappear for a moment. Then the theater grew to three times its size and the Doctor and Alan popped up, dressed as Punch and Judy. The children laughed as they argued for a moment in high-pitched falsetto voices and then Alan hit the Doctor over the head with a large stick while the Doctor punched Alan in the face with a bright red boxing glove. They continued to hit each other for a few minutes before stopping and vanishing. The theater went back to its normal size and the Princess puppet returned along with a King puppet. While the princess and the king talked to each other, the vision widened out and the Doctor and Alan were sitting on the stage beside them in Chippendale chairs. The Doctor was on the left side and Alan, who had a pipe in his mouth, was on the right.

"Good evening," the Doctor said to his family, "and welcome to another edition of Puppet Theater Review. Today we will be reviewing the Nagelian fairy tale, The Princess and the Dragon Stone. With me as always is my co-host, Alan TImelord."

"Good evening," Alan said, taking the pipe out of his mouth briefly before putting it back in again.

"Brother, what do you think of the show so far?" the Doctor said to Alan.

Alan took the pipe out of his mouth.

"Well, to be frank, dear Brother, I've seen better performances from shadow puppets," he said. "The actors are unconvincing, the dialogue is stiff and the Princess puppet looks a bit manky. I think she needs to go in the washing machine."

"Quite, quite," the Doctor said as Alan stuck the pipe back in his mouth. "I concur, dear brother, when I come to a puppet show, I expect to be transported to a magical world of fantasy, not sit and think about when's intermission so I can go to the loo. I mean, look at the king there. His acting's more wooden than Pinocchio's bum. Where did he take acting lessons from, a sock?"

"Exactly! Not feeling the King's distress at all! And I don't believe the princess is in any real danger from the dragon. They should live the parts! They should make me feel as if I'm not watching pieces of old cloth, but living breathing actors. Total rubbish and a waste of a good fairy tale."

"Quite, quite," the Doctor said, nodding.

Alan blew hard into the pipe stem and a large soap bubble grew out of the bowl of the pipe. When it was the size of a grapefruit, it took off and sailed over the brother's heads. The Doctor reached up and popped it when it came near his tousle. Alan gave him an incensed look and took the pipe out of his mouth.

"Oi, quit popping my bubbles," he said as his family giggled.

The Doctor took the pipe from him, wiped the saliva off the stem and put it in his mouth. He blew so hard into it, his face turned beet red and his family laughed when a bubble grew and grew and grew until it was bigger than Alan.

"Eeek!" Alan said as the bubble pursued him out of the vision.

The Doctor smiled at his family.

"That concludes today's edition of Puppet Theater Review, join us next time for…"

"Ah! Get me out of this thing!"

The Doctor's family laughed as Alan went bouncing across the stage, trapped inside the giant soap bubble. The Doctor watched as he bounced out of view before he looked at his family, shrugged and waggled his eyebrows.

"As my bubble brother would say, I'm just an impish little scamp," he said to them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the puppet show was over, the Doctor took Namid's hand as all of them left the stage. On the way back to the trail, they noticed a man selling candy floss.

"Daddy, can we have some?" Christopher asked Alan.

"Oh, I don't see why not," Alan said, steering him towards it.

"Daddy…" Sokanon said, turning to him.

"No! Keep walking!" the Doctor said quickly.

He grinned when the children giggled.

"Yes, you can have some candy floss too," he said to them.

He was about to head with them towards the booth when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned to see a young man in his mid twenties who was holding on to a little girl's hand. The man was tall and thin with a slight muscular build. He had a chiseled face with long brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail and piercing grey eyes. The child was eight years old and resembled her father except her long, brown hair cascaded down her back.

"I'm sorry to bother you but can I talk to you for a moment?" he said.

The Doctor looked at Rain.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up with all of you," he said to her.

Rain nodded and took Namid's hand. She led her and the other children away as the Doctor turned his attention back to the man and gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, my name is Derek and this is my daughter, Julia," he said.

"I'm the Doctor," he said, extending his hand.

Derek shook it. The Doctor smiled warmly at Julia when he shook her hand.

"What do you need?" he asked Derek when he finished.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I couldn't help noticing you have a blind daughter," Derek said.

"Yes, I do," the Doctor said hesitantly.

"Have you tried to cure her blindness?"

"I have but so far I haven't been successful," the Doctor said.

"Well, the reason I'm asking is my daughter was born blind and a man named Jacques Prevensie placed a chip on the back of her brain that took over for her eyes and allowed her to see again."

The Doctor glanced down at Julie who smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, he helped me to see," she said to the Doctor.

"I was just wondering if you'd ever heard of him before," Derek said.

"No, no I haven't," the Doctor said.

"Well, if you want to cure her blindness, I can give you the information on how to contact him," Derek said.

"That would be lovely. Wait a tick, I'll be right back," the Doctor said.

Derek nodded and reached into his pocket for a pad of paper and a pen while the Doctor hurried over to Rain. She was standing at the back of the line with the triplets clustered around her. She smiled at the Doctor when he walked up to her.

"Need you to come with me, you and Namid," he said to her. "There's something you have to hear."

"Okay, Tara, can you watch Soki and Chas while I do this?"

"Sure, Mommy," Tara said to her.

Rain took Namid's hand as they followed the Doctor. He led them back to Derek.

"This is my wife, Rain, and my daughter, Namid," the Doctor said. "Could you tell them what you told me?"

Derek nodded and repeated what he had told the Doctor along with what he knew about how the chip functioned and the details of the operation. While he talked, Rain looked at the Doctor in disbelief.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it," Rain said when he finished speaking and handed the information he wrote down to the Doctor.

"I might see, Daddy?" Namid said.

"Yes, but if we do this, I want it to be your decision since you're the one who'll have to undergo the operation," the Doctor said to her. "If you wanna do this, I'll take you to see this chap but only if you want to. I think you're old enough to make this decision on your own."

Namid fell silent for a moment while she considered it.

"Will you still show me things, Daddy?" she asked.

"If you like," the Doctor replied.

"Show her things?" Derek said.

"Our race are telepaths. I'd been compensating for her blindness by mentally projecting images into her mind and showing her things. And sometimes my family and I get a bit silly and show them silly things."

"Wow, that's handy, wish I could have done that for Julia," he said.

Namid nodded.

"I wanna do it, Daddy. I wanna be able to see you for real," Namid said.

Then, we'll go get it done after we finish here," the Doctor said.

The Doctor fought to keep from crying when he saw the huge grin on his daughter's face. Rain kissed him.

"I'll go tell the others," she whispered to him.

She took Namid's hand and led her back towards the booth while the Doctor shook hands with Derek.

"Thanks, mate, I owe you one," the Doctor said to him.

"No problem, I hope the operation is a success," Derek said to him.

"Same here."

Derek nodded. The Doctor patted him on the back and waved goodbye to both him and Julia before he hurried back to his excited family who were waiting for him by the candy floss booth.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

On the way back to their camp, everyone was buzzing with excitement. Namid's siblings were crowded around her, happy that at last she had a chance to see. Rain walked behind everyone with the Doctor, the two of them holding hands and sharing in each other's happiness that their daughter might finally be able to see without them showing her everything.

"I can't believe it, our Namid might be able to see for the first time in her life," Rain whispered to him.

"Yup, we might not have to wait till she regenerates," he replied softly. "I just hope it works. Brain surgery is tricky and I don't want her ending up with brain damage, which is why we'll check this Doctor Prevensie out before we do this."

Sokanon ran back to them.

"Daddy, Mi-mi's gonna see again!"

She giggled when the Doctor scooped her up.

"With any luck, Soki, she will. I was telling your mum we're gonna talk to this doctor first and make sure he'll be able to do it so he won't hurt her."

He grimaced.

"Gorblimey, you're getting heavy. I can't carry you the way I used to," he said, gently setting her down.

"Am I a big girl now?" Sokanon asked him.

"Yes, you are, a very big girl," he said, tousling her hair.

By the time they returned to their camp, the sun was setting. Alan immediately zoomed to the tent and flung himself inside.

"Cooeee, mice, is mice in here?" he yelled.

"Shut up, Alan!" Rose said as they laughed.

"What?" he said, coming outside. "I don't want a mouse on my wife's lips. I have to kiss them. Besides, I don't wanna hear your shatter glass scream in my ear when a big, fat rat runs by."

He looked at the Doctor.

"Note to self," he teased, "never take Rose camping on any planet that has mice ever again."

"Note to self," the Doctor replied, "make sure Rose never gets caught and is tortured by having a mouse dangled in front of her face. Otherwise, she might confess something and we'll end up dead."

"Note to self," Namid said, walking up to them, "you're silly."

"Note to self," the Doctor said, picking her up, "quit butting in on other people's jokes!"

Namid giggled and hugged him tightly while he sent love into her mind.

"So, I s'pose now that we're all over being happy for Namid here, we can get on with the whole me telling the ghost story thing?"

He winced when Namid screamed YES in his ear along with the other children.

"Note to self," he groaned, "put Namid back down before saying anything that might cause her to yell."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay," the Doctor said, sighing, as he and the others sat down on long, narrow logs around a small fire they had started.

The sun had set and the firelight was the only illumination they had. The sky overhead was pitch black but because there was minimal pollution on the planet, the stars shone brilliantly and twinkled overhead. The Doctor and Alan sat with their wives on their left sides while Tara sat on the Doctor's right side, Christopher sat on Alan's right side and the triplets were gathered around their father's legs in anticipation of the story he was about to tell. The Doctor cleared his throat.

"I'd like to begin the evening with an ancient Gallifreyan song that was sung on nights such as this," he said.

"Cool!" Chaska said to his sisters.

The Doctor stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in his jacket. He adjusted his tie and fiddled with his tousle.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked him.

"I'm making myself look presentable to the spirit of Rassilon. After all, this song is an homage to him," he replied.

He ran his hands down the sides of his trouser legs. Then he licked his index finger and wiped away a bit of dirt on the front of his left Converse.

"Does Rassilon care this much about your appearance?" Rain said while the others giggled.

"I must be presentable to him. After all, he's my god…sorta," he said.

He straightened back up and smoothed out his jacket again.

"Okay, you look good now, Daddy," Tara said. "Get on with it!"

The Doctor ignored her. Everyone watched as he turned and strode into the woods. They looked at each other and then laughed when they heard him peeing. Two minutes later, he came back out.

"Sorry, had to water the undergrowth before I began," he said.

They sighed when he fiddled with his jacket and tie again.

"Doctor, if you don't stop, we're gonna go in the tent and go to sleep," Rose said to him.

"Fine, fine, I just hope Rassilon is pleased," the Doctor said.

He clasped his hands in front of his body and cleared his throat.

"Mi mi mi miiiiiii…" he said. "Ma, me, mi, mo, moooooooo."

He cleared his throat again.

"Is this gonna take till morning?" Rose asked. "Because if it is then…"

"CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON!" the Doctor suddenly bellowed. "THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE DONE! LAY YOUR WEARY HEAD TO REEEEEEEEST, DON'T YOU CRY NO MORE!"

Everyone laughed when he began to play air guitar while he said, "NA NA NANA NA NA NANA NANANANANANANANANANANAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Alan noticed the confused look on Namid's face and showed her what he was doing while the Doctor continued to play air guitar and wiggled his butt. Then a moment later, he stopped and straightened his jacket out before he sat down.

"Now!" he said as everyone laughed. "Now that my homage to Rassilon is over with, we can begin the tale."

"Gee, I had no idea Carry On My Wayward Son was originally from Gallifrey," Rain said.

"Indeed it is, I'm the one that gave Kansas the song and the idea of recording it," he said to her. "Now, on with the story."

He slid down beside the children and reclined against the log while he folded his hands on his chest and looked up at the sky.

"Now, the man I heard this from was an old recluse that lived high up in the mountains of South Gallifrey," he said as he looked up.

"Why did he live by himself up in the mountains?" Tara asked.

"I don't know. Sometimes it's better not to ask," the Doctor said as he continued to stare up.

"Why, did he kill somebody?" Rose asked.

They giggled when the Doctor remained silent and just stared up at the stars with wide eyes.

"Well, Love, did he kill someone?" Rain said when he didn't answer.

"Um…not sure, I don't know why he was a hermit, he just was," the Doctor said.

"And everyone was okay with this weird old man living high in the mountains?" Tara said.

"No one really cared. He was shunned," the Doctor replied.

"Why, did he kill somebody?" Rose repeated.

"Brother, why are you sitting there like a lump and not coming to my defense?" the Doctor said, glancing at Alan.

"You mean all these people are actually gettin' to ya?" Alan said.

"I would just like someone on my side," the Doctor replied.

"We're just wanting to know why this man was a recluse," Rain teased.

"Yeah, did he murder someone?" Rose said as the children laughed.

"I…don't…knooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!" the Doctor said as they laughed harder. "Why don't you let me tell my storeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?"

"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Rose said.

"Right, let me think of a story he told me," the Doctor said.

"You mean you don't have one prepared?" Rain said.

"I was a bit busy trying to dodge the whole was he a murderer thing to think of something," the Doctor said while they laughed. "Um…okay…it was a dark night a lot like this one when an old man was walking along a road in North Gallifrey…"

"Then this man jumped out and killed him and he went to live in the mountains and tell Daddy stories."

Everyone except the Doctor roared with laughter when Chaska interrupted him.

"Oi, you shut your gob," he said to him giving his head a playful shove. "Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted…this old man was walking along a road in North Gallifrey when suddenly he saw a ghost dart into these woods that were right beside him. Curious, he decided to follow the ghost and see where he was going."

"But it wasn't a ghost at all, it was this man in a sheet and when the old man caught up to him, he killed him and years later, he became a hermit who told gullible boys ghost stories."

"Tara!" the Doctor said as they howled with laughter. "I'm not gonna tell it if you keep interrupting me."

"Okay, okay, we'll stop," Tara said.

The Doctor gave her a skeptical look but continued with his story.

"So anyway, the old man followed the ghost into the woods. As he walked he looked everywhere for it but it was nowhere to be found. After awhile, he gave up the search and went back to the road."

"And he went home, pooped his pants and fell asleep in his chair, the end," Tara said.

Everyone laughed when the Doctor smacked her on the head.

"No! He went back to the road and walked along but he kept seeing the ghost as if the thing was following him. Finally, he grew tired of seeing the ghost and demanded he show himself."

"And then the Doctor stepped out of the shadows took off the bed sheet and said, it's a fair cop," Rose said while they laughed.

The Doctor looked at Alan.

"They're never gonna let me finish this story, are they?"

"Probably not," Alan said.

"Okey-dokey then."

The Doctor fell silent and stared up at the stars while the children begged him to finish.

"No, everyone keeps interrupting me," he said when their begging got louder.

"Here, I'll finish," Alan said.

The children shut up and turned their heads toward him in anticipation.

"Okay, so the old man goes into the forest and says, leave me alone," Alan said. "And the ghost says, boo, I'm a ghost, and the man says, yeah, I get that, what do you want, and the ghost says, you. So the ghost possesses his body and the possessed man went home and murdered all the cousins in his house. After that, he went up into the mountains where he became a hermit and years and years later…"

The Doctor eyed him when everyone laughed.

"Just telling them what they want to hear, Brother," Alan said to him. "They're just so sure that the hermit is a murderer that I was just confirming their suspicions."

"Well, I s'pose he was an odd man but I doubt he murdered anyone," the Doctor said as he stared up at the sky. "He was just an outcast like I was."

"How come you were an outcast, Daddy?" Sokanon asked.

He patted her head.

"Cause I was different and back then on Gallifrey, people didn't like different," he said. "I didn't think and act like everyone else so almost everyone avoided me."

He smiled when the children let out an "Awwww!" and clustered up around him in a group hug. Tara laughed and joined in along with the others.

"Um…" the Doctor said in a muffled voice. "This is fabulous but you're all smothering me and blocking any air from coming to me, could you not pile on me and kill me with your love?"

They all stepped back and he took an exaggerated intake of air.

"Thanks! I didn't want to die in a group hug, that would have been embarrassing," he said.

He smiled when the children snuggled near him and he put his arms around them while the adults chatted with each other.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: This story takes place five years after mine and Carol's joint story, The Past Comes Back to Haunt Us, and by this time the Valeyard is no longer evil and has been accepted by everyone. He goes by the name Doc to avoid confusion.

Chapter Nine

After chatting for a couple of hours, everyone went inside to sleep except for the Doctor. He stayed awake, lounging against the log while he stared up at the stars. He smiled when he heard Rain singing the children to sleep and then it fell silent inside the tent. Outside, there were a few scattered animal noises and the crackling of the fire to break the silence of the night. He stared at one star while he thought about Namid. For years now, he and his wife had held out the hope that her blindness might be cured while at the same time consoling themselves that she would regain her sight as soon as she regenerated. The fact that she might be cured in this life filled him with joy.

"Daddy?"

The Doctor leaned back up and looked around at the tent. He smiled when he saw Namid tentatively stepping out of it.

"Over here, my treasure," he said to her.

He let out several high-pitched beeps as Namid giggled and followed the beeps to his side. He embraced her as she sat down beside him.

"What's the matter? Can't sleep?" he asked her.

"I haven't been to sleep yet. I was just listening to the rest of your CD," she said.

"Oh, what did you think of it?"

"I like it. I like the story of Sutekh and the mummy robots. Aunt Sarah really did all that?"

"Oh yes, your Aunt Sarah was a very brave woman, still is, actually," he said as he leaned back onto the log and stared up at the sky.

"What did they look like, Daddy? The mummy robots?"

The Doctor showed her an image of them.

"They're weird looking. They're big and they got the bandages all over them," Namid commented.

"Yes, but they were dangerous. I was glad when we finally defeated them."

"What did Sutekh look like?"

He showed her.

"Ooo, he looks scary, Daddy? Weren't you scared?"

"Nah, I wasn't that scared," the Doctor replied. "I've faced far worse than a bunch of mummy robots and an Osirian."

He frowned when Namid fell silent.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he said to her.

She rolled on her side and faced him.

"Daddy, why do you fight evil people?" she asked.

"Because it's the right thing to do. It's what I decided my purpose in life should be," he replied. "I'm not the sort of person who can just sit back and let evil people do whatever they want so I fight the evil and injustice that's out there."

"Aren't you scared of dying?"

He chuckled and stroked her hair.

"Sweetie, I've died nine times already," he said. "Dying doesn't scare me anymore."

"Did it hurt?"

"Nah, not really."

"Do you think I'd make a good Time Lady?"

He smiled tenderly.

"I think you'd make an excellent Time Lady, Rainbow. You're already shown so much courage in your life and now with this operation; I think I'll take you and your brother and sister out for more exciting adventures."

"But I have to see first?"

"Yes, Honey. I know you get around pretty well but you really do need your eyesight if you're gonna travel with me. I can't show you things all the time, especially in the heat of battle. That's why I'm glad that man found us today and gave me the information on this doctor. We'll go and see him when we leave here in the morning."

"Will you still show me things and make my CDs for me, Daddy?"

"Sure. That won't stop if you gain your eyesight, Rainbow. I love doing those things for you. Course once you see, we'll have to teach you how to read and write since you only know how to use Braille but that's easy to do."

"Will I see things like the mummy people and Sutekh?"

"Oh, I don't know if you'll see them personally, but you'll see things like them. Are you scared?"

"A little bit."

He smiled and stroked her hair.

"Well, you don't have to worry. I won't kick you or your brother or sister out the door of the TARDIS and tell you to have at it while I hide. I will train you how to battle monsters and evil people just like I showed your mum and your aunts and uncles how to do it. By the time I'm through with ya, you won't know the meaning of the word fear," he teased.

He frowned when Namid started crying softly.

"Love, what's wrong?" he said, moving closer to her and putting his arm around her. "Honey, I promise if you wanna travel with me, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. I'm not gonna send you out to fight a mummy robot at the age of ten, trust me."

"No, it's not that," Namid said, sniffing.

"What is it then?"

Namid put her arms around him.

"I don't want you to die," she said, snuggling close.

The Doctor's hearts warmed and he kissed her head tenderly.

"I promise you, if I die I'll get right back up and be your daddy again," he said.

"No, I mean die for real. I don't want you to ever die."

The Doctor rubbed her arm.

"Baby, I have to die sometime," he said softly. "Our kind does live a long time but we're not immortal. Eventually, I will die permanently. But…I don't think that's until a long ways off in future so don't worry about it. You'll be able to irritate me for years to come."

He smiled when Namid giggled at that and kissed her temple.

"And frankly, I wanna die sometime. I'm tired. Your dad's an ooooooold man now; he's been through a lot. That's why I bred you cattle so you could take over from Papa Moo-moo when he snuffs it."

He grinned when Namid giggled harder.

"I'm a moo-moo, Daddy?"

"Yes, you're my little moo-moo named Clarabelle that gives me chocolate milk."

Namid laughed and the Doctor laughed with her when she mooed for him.

"Yup, you're my little moo cow," the Doctor teased as he tickled her. "And…little moo cows need to get their rest so they can give me lots of yummy milk so…how's bout you go back in your tent and start snorin'?"

"Will you come with me, Daddy?"

"Aw, do I have to?" the Doctor whined.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Alright, I'll come back inside and you can lie near mummy and me," he said to her.

"You mean we're gonna sleep with the robot mummy, Daddy?"

"No!" he said, tickling her while she giggled. "I mean the mummy who'll be very angry at me for keeping you up when you need your sleep!"

He gave her several wet kisses on her cheeks while she giggled with delight and then he held her close while he sent love into her mind.

"When you get your eyesight back, you're gonna be amazed at all the things you'll see with them," he said to her. "And it'll be a lot better to see them with your own eyes than to have people show them to you. That's what I'm looking forward to, you seeing things with your own eyes."

"Me too, Daddy."

He gave her a hug and a kiss before both of them got up and he escorted her back into the tent.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning when they finally got back to New Gallifrey, the Doctor called all the family members and told them to gather in his house. Once they were there, he told them about Doctor Prevensie and everyone was ecstatic.

"So, you're gonna go through with it?" Jack asked.

"I think so. We're gonna go visit this doctor and talk to him to make sure he's competent. So, anyone wanna come with me and Rain, now's the time to say so."

"I will," Doc said, "after all, she's my daughter too."

"And I'll go as well," Adam said.

"Me too," Theta said.

"Me too," Alan said.

"And me," John added.

Jack and Ianto also volunteered along with Rose, Rosie, Marion, Tara and Frankie. Everyone else decided to wait and watch the children while the Doctor promised to call and let them know what Doctor Prevensie said to him. After that, the ones who were going climbed into the Doctor's TARDIS and everyone chatted about the good news while the Doctor took it into the vortex.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The TARDIS landed just down the street from Doctor Prevensie's office. Everyone stepped out and the Doctor led them as he kept his eyes on the numbers on the front of the houses and businesses along the street. The planet they landed on was called Azure, named for the deep blue sky above them. Twin suns shone down onto the Earth-like planet and the green grass in front of the buildings swayed gently in the warm breeze. Before landing the Doctor had called the office number and made an appointment to see Doctor Prevensie. They landed a half hour before Namid was scheduled to see him.

The Doctor stopped in front of a one story rectangular office building. It was made of glass and inside they could see a large lobby with several chairs and tables. Beside the chairs and tables there was a hole in the wall. Behind it, the receptionist sat while she spoke on the telephone. The Doctor checked the address on the sheet of paper, glanced at the numbers beside the glass doors and nodded to everyone before they went inside.

The moment they walked inside, Jack winced when he heard the muzac softly playing from a speaker mounted in the wall beside the hole in the wall.

"Ugh, I hate this kind of music," he said to Ianto as they went to sit down in the seats.

The Doctor walked up to the receptionist and signed in while Doc led Namid to the seats and everyone else followed them. The men and Namid sat on the left side of the room while the women sat on the right. Namid sat on her father's left side. An empty space on the other side was reserved for the Doctor who was now paying the receptionist. Namid had her Little Mermaid bag with her and she reached in for her CD player and her Harry Potter audio book while Doc casually picked through the magazines on the table beside him. Beside the empty seat were John, Alan and Adam. John and Adam were watching Alan while he played Civilization on his Nintendo DS and making comments about what he should do. Beside Adam, Theta was casually thumbing through a science magazine he found on the table beside him. On the other side of the table, Jack and Ianto talked quietly to one another. Across the way, Rose, Frankie, Rosie, Marion, Rain and Tara chatted quietly. When Doc first came to their family, he had been confused as to which Rose was which so to help him out until he got used to them, the three women decided to follow the brothers lead and change their appearances slightly. Rose kept her usual look with the long blonde hair that cascaded down her back. Rosie cut hers until it was back to shoulder length and Marion did the same to hers and died the ends of her hair black since it was the fad on Gallifrey. After five years, they had decided they liked the varying looks and kept them even though by now Doc could usually tell who was who.

The Doctor finished with the receptionist and sat down beside Namid. He looked at Doc.

"That's taken care of, it shouldn't be too long until we go in to see him," he said to his brother.

"Good, I just hope that he can cure Namid," he said, gesturing to Namid who was slumped in the seat, eyes closed while she listened to the Half Blood Prince through her earphones. "And if you want a magazine, I'm afraid there are slim pickings, Brother. I've looked through them and most of them are automotive or home decorating."

"Ugh!" the Doctor said, making a face. "Okey-doke then."

Namid giggled when the Doctor took her headphones off her head and slipped them on.

"I will listen to Harry Potter then," he announced loudly.

"Hey, give that back," Namid said, taking the headphones off his head.

"But I'm bored, what am I s'posed to do?" the Doctor whined.

"Suffer!" Namid said.

She giggled and hunkered down when she sensed the Doctor staring at her. With an impish grin, he began to poke her repeatedly in the side while Doc chuckled. Rain walked over and patted him on the head.

"Now, now, Dear, quit harassing your daughter," she said.

"Yes, Dear," the Doctor said, folding his arms over his chest.

Rain gave him a kiss and put her hand on her daughter's head as she leaned over into her face.

"Baby, we were just talking and we decided that if the operation is a success, then we need to take you somewhere to celebrate. So where would you like to go?"

Namid turned her CD off and thought it over.

"I think we should take her to the opera," the Doctor said.

"A splendid idea. How 'bout the Marriage of Figaro?" Doc added.

Namid tapped Rain's arm.

"Yes, Baby?" she said.

"Mum, if I have to go to the opera, can I stay blind?"

Everyone laughed at that while Rain nuzzled her nose.

"Seriously though, Sweetie, where do you wanna go?" Rain asked.

Rain swung her legs back and forth while she thought that over.

"Alan!" Namid called out.

Alan looked up from his game.

"Hang on, mates, someone's hailing the SS Enterprise here," he said, handing his DS to Adam.

He got up and walked over to her as Rain stepped aside. He got down beside her face and mimed pressing a button.

"This is James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. What do you want, ya Romulan?"

"Huh?" Namid said as they laughed.

"Never mind, Sweetie, what'd ya want?"

"White Castles."

Alan's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the mention of that. Namid grinned.

"Daddy, does he have frog eyes now since I said that?"

"Uh…yeah, he does, Rainbow," the Doctor said as they laughed.

"Good, I thought he might do that. I thought we could go somewhere and get White Castles for my trip," Namid said.

"That's all? You gain your eyesight and you wanna look at frying burgers?" Alan said in disbelief.

"No, I wanna do other things but I like to have some White Castles," Namid said.

"Well, we could go back to Sky-vue for another dusk to dawn film session since there's a White Castles nearby," Alan said.

"And since that's in Indiana, you'd get to have your sugar cream pie again," Rose said.

Alan turned to look at her.

"Now wait a moment. She's the one that suggested White Castles, I just suggested films since you need eyes to see films and since the Sky-vue is just down the road from the White Castles I thought It'd be a good choice for her special night," Alan said.

"But it's also a way for you to get what you want," Rose said.

The women giggled when Alan's mouth dropped open and he shot her an indignant look.

"Fine, fine, I'm going back to my game. She's the one that called to me, you know," he muttered as he stomped back over.

"Ought-oh, Alan's feelings are hurt," Rain said.

"I don't mind going to get his sugar cream pie, Mummy. I like sugar cream pie. Uncle Alan, don't be sad. We'll get your pie," she called down to him.

"Thank you, Namid, I appreciate you saying that. At least you don't jump down my throat at the mere mention of pie," he said to her.

"I do not jump down your bleedin' throat, Alan Timelord, Jesus," Rose said as Tara giggled. "He is such a man-baby sometimes."

"And you're a bit hard on me sometimes," Alan shot back. "But…for the sake of keeping the day harmonious, I won't say another word. I'm going back to my game now," he said, taking it from Adam.

The Doctor chuckled when he noticed his daughter was bent over and looking his way with a sad look on her face.

"Don't worry, Rainbow, he'll cheer up in about two minutes or less," he said to her.

"I don't mind if he goes to get pie," Namid said to him.

"We know that, Love," the Doctor said, barely containing his laughter. "Honestly, we're just taking the mick out of him. He'll be alright. If you want us to stop so he can get his sugar cream pie, we will. Just calm down and listen to Harry Potter, yeah?"

The Doctor and Doc exchanged a glance as Doc put a comforting arm around his daughter's shoulder while she slipped her headphones back on her head. She turned her CD on and Doc smiled when she leaned back against his arm. The Doctor smiled when Doc gave her a small butterfly kiss on the head before he settled back in his chair and rested his eyes.

"Surely you can't be serious. I am serious…and don't call me, Shirley. Surely you can't be serious. I am serious…and don't call me Shirley. Surely you can't be serious…"

"Alan, will you answer your mobile so we won't have to hear the stupid ringtone anymore?" Rose said, looking at him.

Alan sighed, passed the game to Adam and pulled his mobile out.

"Hello? Hey, Lan, how ya doin'?" he said into the mobile.

"Lan?" Doc said, looking at the Doctor.

"Mate of his. They met several years ago when Alan was taking a class in painting at the Arts Academy," the Doctor said to him. "They were sitting beside each other and became close. He calls him on occasion and they go out and do things together."

"I see. What about the ringtone?" Doc said.

"You've never seen Airplane?"

"I don't think so."

"I think you were gone that night. Alan decided to have the wee ones over for a comedy film night and he showed them the first Austin Powers movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ghostbusters and Airplane. He'd never seen Airplane before that night and now he likes it. Several years before you joined us, Awinita showed us how to download ringtones off the internet and he found a couple that pertained to Airplane. What you just heard was one of the jokes from the film."

Doc nodded. The Doctor grinned and slid the headphones down off of Namid's head.

"Huh?" she said, looking at him.

"We were just talking about the Airplane film Uncle Alan showed you."

A huge smile spread over her face and she giggled.

"That was funny," she said.

"Dada's never seen it before," the Doctor said.

"You've never seen Airplane, Dada?" Namid said in shock.

"Nope, never have."

Namid's eyes widened.

"Ooo, we could do that, Daddy. Go to the Sky-vue on the night it's playing so Dada could see it."

"I think that's doable," the Doctor replied.

"Yay!" Namid said. "You'll like it, Dada, it's funny."

Tara got up and walked over to her. She bent down in her ear.

"I gotta get out of here! I gotta get out of here!" she said in a panicked voice.

Namid giggled and lightly slapped her cheek.

"Stop that. Get ahold of yourself!" she said as the Doctor chuckled.

"What's this?" Doc said, gesturing to them.

"Another little bit from the movie. There's this panicky woman passenger and people start slapping her and trying to calm her down and eventually this line forms down the aisle of people who wanna beat her up," Tara said to him.

"It's funnier when you watch it," the Doctor said after seeing the odd look on his brother's face.

"Well, gee, Ya'nala, I figured you'd wanna watch the Harry Potter movie since you're listening to it," Doc said.

"Not yet, I wanna finish the book first," Namid replied.

She paused a moment in thought while Tara went and sat back down beside her mother.

"Daddy?" she said.

"Yes?" the Doctor said.

"I don't understand something 'bout the book," she said, tapping the CD player.

"Yeah?"

"I'm at the part where they're in the cave and Dumbledore's drinking the potion in the bowl," Namid said.

"Yeah?" the Doctor said.

"I don't get the horcrux thing. I mean, Dumbledore said Voldemort split his soul into all these pieces, how can you do that?"

"Uh…well, I don't really know if you can do that, Sweetie. I always kinda viewed it as a metaphor for losing a part of yourself if you murder someone," he said. "Killing someone does change you. That's why I don't want anyone I know doing it."

"But that's why he keeps coming back, cause he's got his soul in all these places?"

"Right, because as long as one of these horcruxes are left, he can still come back to life."

"Is that why Uncle Jack can come back to life?"

Adam, Alan and John sniggered as Jack leaned forward to look at her and then got up. Everyone laughed as he cleared his throat loudly and walked over to her.

"What was that? Are you saying that I have split myself up and I'm now in several objects?" he said as she giggled.

Namid shrugged.

"Just saying that's what Voldemort did," she said, patting his cheek.

"Well, I'm not Voldemort, Tootsie," he said, poking her in the belly as she laughed. "My soul is in one piece, thank you very much, so don't you be telling lies and calling me Voldemort, you hear?"

She laughed when he kept on poking her belly.

"Okay, you're not Voldemort."

"You're darn tootin' I'm not. Voldemort, bah, I could eat Voldemort for breakfast!"

Namid laughed as he walked away from her ranting about how wussy Voldemort was before sitting back down beside Ianto. The Doctor snickered at that and then noticed Doc's melancholy look. He put up a privacy block around his mind.

_Brother, what's wrong?_ He thought to him.

_Voldemort. If anyone's Voldemort here, it's me. I could have passed for him five years ago,_ he thought back.

_Brother, don't,_ the Doctor thought back.

_Well, it's true. I was that evil once,_ he thought to him. _I did bad things._

_So did I. I've killed too so don't think you're the only one,_ the Doctor thought. _That's why I don't ever want any of our family members killing anyone because I know what It's like to damage your soul like that. You're not that way anymore, Brother. That's in the past. Imiko cured you, so please don't feel guilty any longer. _

Doc nodded as the Doctor patted him on the shoulder and sent love into his mind before dropping the privacy block.

"Namid Smith?"

The Doctor glanced at the receptionist when she called out Namid's name. The Doctor used the last name of Smith when making appointments or filling out forms for her or any of his other children. He glanced at his family.

"Who's going in with me?"

"I will," Doc said.

"And me," Rain said, getting up.

Everyone else declined and waited while the Doctor and Doc took their daughter's hand and led her towards a security door that slid open beside the window when the receptionist pressed a button.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

As the receptionist escorted them back towards Doctor Prevensie's office, Namid was aware that the pleasant smell of the lobby had given way to an antiseptic smell. Suddenly, the realization that someone was going to be putting something in her head hit home and she jerked back away from her parents. The three adults turned and took hold of her arms.

"Ya'nala, what's wrong?" Doc asked.

"I'm scared," Namid said. "Is this gonna hurt?"

"I don't know, Sweetie, but that's what we're gonna talk to the doctor about," Rain said gently.

"Love, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," the Doctor said. "No one will force you and no one will think any less of you if you're too uncomfortable to go through with it. This is entirely your decision."

"I want to do it," Namid said.

"Are you sure?" Doc said. "We won't be angry if you don't wanna do this."

The Doctor glanced at the receptionist who was waiting patiently.

"Sorry, she's a bit nervy," he said to her.

"I understand, take your time," the receptionist said.

"Will you stay with me while they do it?" Namid asked.

"Honey, we'll stay with you if that's what you want," Rain replied.

"Okay, I'll do it then."

She took ahold of her mother's hand and both Doc and the Doctor came to her side as the receptionist led them to a room at the end of the hallway. When the receptionist opened the door, the antiseptic smell got even stronger and Namid wrinkled her nose at it.

"Hello there, I'm Doctor Prevensie," she heard a man say in a deep baritone voice. "Come in and have a seat."

Namid let her mother guide her over and she sat down in a seat. She felt her mother sit beside her and felt someone sit on the other side. She sniffed and smiled when she smelled the Doctor's chocolate chip cookie scent. She leaned back as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

"And this must be Namid," she heard him say.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor replied.

Daddy, what's he look like? She thought to him.

She saw a picture in her mind's eye of Doctor Prevensie. He was late middle age, medium height and thin with thinning white hair and a lined face. He wore huge glasses with thick lenses that gave him an owlish appearance. He was wearing a white lab coat and dark grey trousers with black shoes. Namid decided she liked him and relaxed some more while the Doctor rubbed her shoulder.

"Now," Doctor Prevensie said, "your daughter wants to get the chip in her head that will allow her to see?"

"Yes," the Doctor said. "But we have a few questions first."

"By all means, ask," Namid heard him say.

"Will it hurt?" Namid blurted out.

"The operation? No, Namid, you'll be put to sleep while I perform it. It'll be completely painless. Now you might have a headache for about a day afterwards but that's all."

"How long will it take?" Rain asked.

"Only a couple of hours. I perform it right here in my office and if you want, we can do it today as soon as our chat is done."

Namid frowned when she heard nothing from anyone and she wondered what was going on.

"Um…what's gonna happen?" Namid said when no one spoke up.

"Well, Sweetie, you'll lay down on your stomach on this bed I have over here and I'll sedate you so you go to sleep. Then I'll shave off a bit of your hair and make an incision and then I'll place a chip at the back of your brain and this chip will work as your eyes for awhile until it makes some neural connections and bypasses whatever damage was done to your eyes that makes you blind."

"So the chip won't be in there permanently, " Doc said.

"No, it dissolves completely after about a year. It's main function is to establish neural pathways that will allow her to see again. It will help her see until these pathways are established and then it will no longer be necessary."

"Good because we were wondering about that," the Doctor said. "Our kind can live up to two centuries or more in a life and we were afraid the chip would wear out before then and we'd have to get it replaced."

"Oh no, it'll only be in there for a year and then it dissolves completely and passes out of the body," Doctor Prevensie said. "Now in that time, for the first six months, the chip will allow her to see as soon as it's inserted but she'll need to wear glasses at first with special magnifying lenses because the connection won't be that strong. She'll wear them for about six months and after that there will be enough neural pathways that her vision will be strong enough to see without them. "

"Hey, they look like your glasses, Dear," she heard her mother say.

Namid was filled with curiosity and asked her father to show her. She saw an image of them. They resembled the Doctor's glasses except with very thick lenses. She didn't think they were that attractive and was glad she'd only have to wear them for six months.

"So, she'll see straight away then," Doc said.

"As soon as she wakes up, she'll have some blurry vision but it'll be corrected with the glasses," she heard Doctor Prevensie say.

"But with the glasses on, she'll have normal vision," Rain said.

"Yes, she'll be able to see just fine with them on."

Happiness flooded Namid's body and she suddenly felt excited that at last she'd be able to see like everyone else. She felt the Doctor's lips on her cheek.

"Rainbow, do you still wanna go through with this?"

"Yes!" she said.

Everyone chuckled.

"I think that's a definite yes from her," the Doctor said.

"Splendid, we can do it right now if she's ready."

"Now? I can do it now?" Namid said.

"If you want, Sweetie, we have all the time in the world, you know," Rain teased.

"I wanna, Mummy, I wanna do it!" Namid said.

They laughed again.

"Okay, but we don't want you dragging your heels to do this," the Doctor teased.

Her body warmed when she felt him kiss her head and she sent love into his mind.

"Now, I have one question for you," Doctor Prevensie said. "When I shave her head, do you want me to just shave the area where I'll be doing the surgery or go ahead and shave her hair off?"

Namid suddenly saw the Doctor's face in her mind's eye. She giggled when she saw his shocked look and a little word balloon above his head that said, NO, NOT HER HAIR! She giggled harder when the Doctor showed himself carrying her shorn hair in his arms while he wept.

"You want me to keep my hair, Daddy?" she said aloud.

"Might as well cut it all off," Doc said. "Otherwise, she'll be walking around with a bald patch on the back of her head."

"Yes, cut it all off," Namid said aloud.

She giggled when a few seconds later; she saw the image of the Doctor putting her shorn hair in a small coffin while he wept.

"It'll grow back, Daddy," she said while he snickered.

"I know, Love, I'm just mourning the loss of your hair early," he said, patting her hand.

"Well, whenever you're ready, we'll begin," Doctor Prevensie said.

Namid felt another rush of fear within her and the Doctor put his arm around her and held her tight.

"We won't leave you. We'll be here when you wake up," he whispered to her. "So don't be afraid. We'll keep watch over you."

"Okay, Daddy."

The Doctor kissed her cheek and she heard Doctor Prevensie rummaging around in a cabinet before he walked over to her. She heard a whirring sound and then felt something in her hair and her hair falling to the floor in clumps. She giggled when the Doctor began to sob loudly and say, "No! Why?" in an anguished voice.

"Be strong, Love. Soon her hair will grow back," she heard her mother say which made her laugh harder.

"I know but…oh, the humanity!" the Doctor wailed as they laughed.

"I take it, you like your daughter's hair," Doctor Prevensie said as he used the electric razor to shave it off.

"Yes, I like all my women's hair," the Doctor replied.

"While you're mourning the loss of her locks, I'll tell the others what's happening," she heard Doc say.

"You're coming back though, right, Dada?" Namid said.

There was a pause and she felt Doc's lips on her cheek.

"I'll be back straight away. I'm not leaving you either, Ya'nala," he said to her.

He squeezed her hand and sent love into her mind while Namid relaxed and let Doctor Prevensie finish shaving her head.

"Oh my God, she's a billiard ball now," she heard the Doctor say.

Namid giggled.

"Daddy, be quiet!" she said as he chuckled.

After a few more minutes, Doctor Prevensie was done and Namid giggled when she felt her father running his hand over her bald head.

"Yup, billiard ball," he said.

"It's cold in here all of a sudden," Namid said.

"Well, I expect so since you had a full head of warm hair fifteen minutes ago," the Doctor said while they laughed.

She stood up with him when he took her hand. She let him guide her over to the bed and she lay down on it on her stomach. The bed was made of cold plastic that made her shiver and she felt grateful when someone draped a warm cotton blanket on her up to her shoulders. The Doctor laid a hand on her back while he sent love into her mind.

"We'll be right here," he said to her. "There are several chairs nearby and we'll be waiting for you to wake up so we can be the first things you see."

"Okay, Daddy."

Rain kissed her head.

"We love you, Baby. We'll be waiting for you to see us," she whispered.

"Okay, Mummy, is Dada back yet?"

"Not yet but he'll be in here too so don't worry."

"Okay."

She giggled again when the Doctor showed himself burying the coffin in the ground while he wept. Behind the hole was a large tombstone that said HERE LIES MY DAUGHTER'S HAIR.

"Daddy, quit that!" Namid said while the Doctor sniggered.

"Just in mourning, my Little Cue Ball," he said to her.

Namid winced when she felt something sticking her in the arm and something warm being injected into her vein.

"Now, count back from one hundred for me, Namid," Doctor Prevensie said.

"One hundred, Ninety nine, Ninety eight, Ninety….seven, Ninety…six, Ninety…"

Namid trailed off as she felt herself slowly drift away into a dreamless sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"Okay," Doc said, coming back inside the room. "I told everyone what was happening and that it would take a few hours so they're going out for a walk and get something to eat while we wait."

"Are they getting something for us too since we're sitting here?" Rain asked him as Doc sat down beside her.

"Yeah, I think they are. I asked them to at any rate."

He glanced at Namid. Doctor Prevensie had cut into the back of her head with a small laser. He had on magnifying specs and was examining her brain before he inserted the chip. Doc winced at that.

"Ugh, now I'm getting a lot of unpleasant memories of times when someone did something similar like that to me, only it wasn't beneficial," he said.

"You had to bring that up, mate," the Doctor said.

"Sorry, I just see things like this and can't help but think something sinister's going on," Doc said. "Centuries of fighting evil, you know."

"Well, if he is doing something dodgy to our daughter, he'll be the next one on the operating table," the Doctor replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Namid sat by herself inside her mind. She was in the middle of a pleasant field but there was no one else around her.

"Hello?" she said, looking around. "Is anybody there?"

Suddenly there was a bright light in front of her eyes and when it cleared, she saw a beautiful Japanese lady standing in front of her.

"Emi?" Namid said.

"No, I am Imiko," she replied.

"Hey, I remember you. You helped cure my Dada five years ago," Namid said.

"Yes, I did," Imiko said, sitting down next to her. "At that time your father also asked me if I could cure your blindness and I told him that you would have to wait because the blindness was teaching you."

"Teaching me?" Namid said.

"Yes, you learned how to be independent and brave and strong and use your other senses along with your intellect. That was necessary in order for you to become a great Time Lady someday."

"Really? I'm gonna become a Time Lady?"

Imiko smiled and nodded.

"I told your father that someday you would be cured and this is that time. However, you will not need this chip the doctor is putting inside you. I will do it."

"Thank you. Does this mean I'll need glasses?"

"No, you will be able to see perfectly. There will be no need for glasses."

Namid hugged her.

"Thank you, Imiko. You're gonna make my daddies and mummy and family happy now."

"Hai. I love you and your family dearly and I will do anything for them," she said. "Now sit here and I will cure you."

Namid smiled as a bright warm light flooded the vision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay," Doctor Prevensie said to the Doctors and Rain, "Now that her head is open, I'm going to insert the chip and…"

He trailed off and jumped back when Namid's head suddenly started to glow. The others leapt to their feet and ran over.

"What'd you do?" Rain asked him.

"I didn't do anything! I don't know what's happening!" Doctor Prevensie protested.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow when he noticed the glow looked awfully familiar. A smile spread over his face when he started working out what was happening.

"Imiko," he said to Doc and Rain. "I bet my life on it. She's curing our daughter."

"Imiko?" Doctor Prevensie said. "Who's Imiko?"

"A very old and very dear friend who apparently is taking it on herself to cure my daughter's blindness without the aid of a chip," the Doctor replied.

The glow lingered around her head for several minutes and when it faded, not only was the incision gone but her hair had grown back to shoulder length. The Doctors and Rain knelt down beside her face.

"I've never seen anything like it," Doctor Prevensie said. "What just happened?"

"A miracle," Rain told him.

The Doctor hushed them when Namid began to stir. He held Rain's hand and she held Doc's hand as Namid slowly opened her eyes. They held their breath when her eyes opened fully and she stared right at them.

"Hey, you've been lying to me all these years," Namid said to the Doctor. "You're a lot skinner than you look in my head."

She smiled when the three of them gasped and tears came to their eyes. Namid rose up and embraced them while they all wept quietly.

"I don't believe it," Doctor Prevensie said.

"Imiko, I am gonna get you anything you want!" the Doctor said to the ceiling as Namid embraced him.

"Wow, this is pretty cool!" Namid said, looking around.

"Rainbow, it'll get much cooler than this, trust me," the Doctor replied before he buried his face in her shortened hair.

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After hearing the Doctor summoning them back, the rest of the family walked inside the lobby.

"Boy, that was fast," Jack said to the others. "I thought he said it'd take a couple of hours."

Alan shrugged.

"I just hope it was a success is all," he replied.

"Oh, it was more than a success…"

They glanced over at the receptionist's window when the Doctor leaned through it, a grin splitting his face in two.

"She can see?"Frankie asked.

"Yes, and we didn't need the chip. Imiko healed her completely. She has no need of the chip, glasses, or anything else. She even grew some of her hair back."

"Where is she?" Adam said, excited.

The Doctor looked behind him.

"Go on out, Rainbow, and get a dekko at your family," he said to her.

The door slid open and a moment later, Namid walked through. The family cried when she looked right at them and waved as the Doctor, Doc and Rain followed her.

"Blimey, you're all ugly in real life," Namid said.

"Shut your noise, you!" Alan said as he picked up his giggling niece and swung her around.

When Alan put her down, they gathered around her and wept softly as they took turns hugging and kissing her. They laughed when Namid was suddenly confused about which brother was who and which Rose was which and had to sniff them to be sure. After they finished hugging and kissing her, the Doctor started to pay Doctor Prevensie. He held up his hand.

"Don't pay me, I didn't do anything really. Your friend did it all," he said. "I just wish you all the best of luck."

"Thank you and don't worry, from here on out, life will be a heap of fun for Namid," he said to him.

Doctor Prevensie waved and smiled as he watched Doc and Rain take Namid's hand and everyone else gathered around her as they left the building.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The Doctor and the others were chuckling warmly as they walked back to the TARDIS. Namid was looking all around her in amazement, wanting to see everything with her new eyes. It took some time to get back to their ship since they stopped frequently to let her look at things. The Doctor was in seventh Heaven, enjoying the fact that his daughter had her eyesight at last. Once again, he was in debt to Imiko and when they paused to let Namid look at some flowers, he suddenly had an idea.

The Doctor was holding Namid's folded up cane in his hand, the cane she would never need again, and he suddenly had an idea about what to do with it.

"If you lot don't mind, I'm gonna make a small diversion before we go back home," he said to everyone.

"I don't think Namid will complain," Alan said as Namid nodded her head rapidly.

"Okey-doke, follow me and allons-y," he said.

He tousled Namid's hair as they continued toward the TARDIS.

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"Ah, here we are," the Doctor said when they stepped outside the TARDIS.

"And here would be…" Frankie said.

"Kyoto, Japan," the Doctor said with a grin.

"And why are we here?" Tara asked.

"We are going to drop this cane off at an Inari shrine and say hello and thanks to Imiko," the Doctor said to them. "Follow me, there's one near here."

He led the way to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine that was nestled at the bottom of a mountain that was also named Inari. The mountain had several trails going up it that led to smaller shrines. But the Doctor and his family walked up to the main entrance which had a large kitsune statue beside it. The fox was sitting on a large stone base. It was holding a key to the rice granaries in its mouth and had a red bib tied around its neck. They admired it for a moment before the Doctor handed the cane to Namid.

"Leave it here as an offering," he said to her.

"Where?" Namid said, looking around.

"Just at the base of the statue. If someone wants it, they can take it, but the point is you're saying goodbye to it," the Doctor said, patting her shoulder.

Namid nodded. She took the cane over and laid it at the base of the statue. She looked up at the large fox statue.

"Thank you, Imiko, for doing this for me," she said to it. "I'm glad you came and let me see again. I want you to have this because I won't need it anymore."

She stood back and looked up at the statue.

"That's pretty," she said, pointing up to it. "Let's steal it, Daddy."

"No, we're not gonna steal the statue," the Doctor said while everyone laughed. "I came here to thank Imiko, not to pinch her statue."

He glanced over at Alan when he passed him and walked to Namid's side. He reached into his pocket, took out his TARDIS key and laid it beside the cane.

"Imiko, I'm going to do the same and leave you this TARDIS key. I realize you've been welcome in the TARDIS for some time now but you were never formally welcomed since you left before we got the TARDIS back so this is a symbolic way of saying you'll always be welcome in our TARDIS and in our family and thank you for what you've done for us and for my niece."

Suddenly, there were two flashes of light and the cane was transformed into a silver necklace with a jade fox pendant and Alan's key transformed into a jade key with a fox's head. Beside both objects was a tiny note. Alan picked it up and read it.

My friends,

I accept your gifts and your thanks. In return, I am giving Namid-chan a necklace that will protect her from the things that lay ahead for her and for you, my dear Alan-san; I leave a similar key to my world because you and your family are as welcome here as I am in your TARDIS. Whenever you want to visit me, insert it into any lock, open the door and you'll be in my world. Know that I am always watching over all of you and you will always be my very dear friends.

Imiko.

"Cool!" Namid said as the Doctor came forward and took the necklace.

He placed it around Namid's neck while Alan picked up the key and let everyone examine it. While they were doing that, Alan suddenly had a thought and he approached the statue again.

"Um…obviously, you're listening in somewhere," he said aloud as everyone paused to listen. "Thank you so much for the gifts for me and Namid but for me, it's not enough. I know you're some cosmic fox spirit but you're also our friend and it hasn't felt the same since you left us. So what I'm asking is can you skip the whole watching from afar bit for this evening and come with us to the cinema and help us celebrate what you've done for Namid?"

Namid gasped and looked up at the statue.

"Yes, please, I wanna meet you properly. I want you to come with us, please?" she begged.

They waited and Alan sighed when nothing happened.

"Obviously, she has more important fox spirit things to do," he said bitterly.

"Alan-san, I was changing my clothes. You have to give me some time to get ready."

They looked behind them and yelled with delight when they saw Imiko standing behind them, dressed in jeans and a lavender t-shirt. Alan ran to her and embraced her.

"Aw, you do care!" he said to her as he let go.

She giggled.

"You know, you are a very unique person, Alan Timelord. Anyone else would have commanded me to give them wealth or power or kill their enemies. You wanna take me to the cinema. That's why you're my favorites out of all the people I've ever helped."

She smiled at Namid when she came up to her.

"And there was no need to thank me. I was happy to lift your blindness and I would love to spend time with you tonight," she said to her.

"Thank you. We have fun when we go out so I'm betting you'll have fun too," she said.

"Oh, I know all about how much fun they have," Imiko said as Alan and Rose laughed. "That's one of the reasons why I'm so fond of them and why I've kept watch over them all these years."

"Thank you for the necklace, it's pretty," Namid said.

"You're welcome, Namid-chan. I thought that would be a better use for your cane."

The Doctor came up beside his daughter and Imiko embraced him.

"And I'm proud of you, Doctor. You've come so far," she said.

"Yeah, well, I had a little help from you," he said. "If you hadn't forced me to travel with this thing beside me, I wouldn't know where I'd be today."

They laughed when Alan gave him a playful punch in the arm. The Doctor squeezed Namid's shoulder.

"Are you ready for your special night?" he asked her.

"Yup."

"Okay, everyone, let's get back to the TARDIS and go back home so we can have our night of fun," he said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time they got back to the Doctor's house, everyone was there to see Namid. Everyone gave her hugs and kissed her, happy that she could see them at last.

"Man, you lot are all ugly," Namid said.

"Don't mind her, she's been running that joke into the ground since she first saw the three of us," the Doctor replied. "So, who wants to come with us to the drive-in movies tonight? I figure we'll get some people carriers, get some White Castles and have a night of just let down our hair fun. And thankfully, Namid has hair to let down. You shoulda seen her before, the little billiard ball."

"Be quiet, Daddy," Namid said as he chuckled.

Doc yawned and stretched.

"Well, you lot have fun. Gotta get up early tomorrow and go back to my original universe for a bit. Gotta keep my peepers peeled for trouble there. Night night," he said, heading for the front door.

"NO!"

Everyone bent over laughing when Namid howled at Doc and he stopped in his tracks and feigned surprise.

"But…I have to go check on the other universe. Things may be happening there and why are you jerking my arm out of my socket in your haste to pull me away from the front door?" he said with a grin as she tried to pull him back towards the others.

"No, you don't go anywhere except with me," Namid said.

"But…but…but…" Doc stammered.

"You are gonna have fun. You leave that stupid universe alone!" Namid said as she tugged his arm.

"But…but…but…I'm needed…over there…'cross the void. And now my arm's been wrenched from my socket. How am I gonna use it to fight evil?"

He chuckled when the other brothers glanced at each other and headed towards him.

"Come on, Doc, we gotta keep the Seven Dwarves together," Jack said as they surrounded him and pushed him towards the others.

"BUT…BUT…BUT…" he said as they laughed.

They pushed him over towards the Roses and breathed a sigh of relief as they started to walk away. An impish grin spread over Doc's face and he saddled up to Rosie.

"Hi there, long time no see, how's about you and me…"

"WAIT, TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO OUR BROTHER, YOU LOT! WE NEED TO MOVE HIM SOMEWHERE ELSE BECAUSE HE'S CHATTING UP MY WIFE NOW!" John hollered.

"But…but…but…" Doc said as they moved him away from the Roses.

Everyone howled with laughter as the six brothers walked him around the room, trying to find someone they could stick him next to that he wouldn't chat up. They paused at several women before they finally shoved him beside Donna and ran away to the other side of the room. Everyone laughed when Doc stared at Donna while she folded her arms over her chest and gave him a look of warning.

"So…How about that football game this afternoon?" Doc said to her. "Manchester United just got their arses whooped, huh?"

Donna tried not to crack a smile as she glared at him. Everyone else giggled as Doc pretended to be nervous as he put a finger in his shirt collar and tugged at it.

"Is it warm in here all of a sudden?" Doc said. "It's gotten very uncomfortable. Anyway, about those Tories…they're just mucking up things, aren't they? Those MPs need to get off their lazy arses and pass some laws, huh?"

Donna bit her lip while Doc stared at her intently, waiting for her to reply.

"I was in the loo the other day sitting on the bog and I heard this gaseous sound emanating from between my butt cheeks and suddenly there was this huge splash and this mountain of poo was under me," Doc said casually. "I thought to myself, how did that happen when I only ate one bean for supper?"

"Oh, go away, ya git!" Donna said, playfully shoving him while everyone laughed.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to see Theta behind her.

"I was in my bedroom the other day searching under the bed for a teabag that fell out of my pocket when I was shocked to see a wurflesnoozle sitting under my bed and I said to myself, I said, that shouldn't be and I reached out to grab it and that wurflesnooze bit me and I said ow and then I saw my own blood and I passed out and then I died but somehow I regenerated into the exact same body, odd, really…"

They laughed when Donna suddenly walked off.

"Oi, I was in the middle of my sob story about wurflesnoozles and dying, get back here and listen to me, Donna!" he yelled at her.

Donna stopped when Namid got in front of her with Sokanon and Chaska.

"Hi, come tonight and watch the film with us," Namid said, taking her hand.

"Yeah, we don't see you that much," Sokanon added.

"Yes and I haven't finished my sob story about the wurflesnoozle," Theta said, coming up behind her.

"And I need to tell you about the mountain of shite I crapped into the bog."

"Goodbye everyone, have fun at the cinema!" Donna called out as everyone laughed hysterically.

She sighed when the triplets gathered around her, hampering her movement, and begged loudly for her to stay. She feigned exasperation.

"Oh, if I must," she said as the triplets cheered.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Once they decided who was going to go, it ended up that all the young kids would be going along with the brothers, Jack, Ianto, Tara, Rain, Frankie, Rose, Rosie, Marion, Donna, Imiko, Awinita and Mingxia. The others decided to stay behind and have a movie marathon of their own at the Torchwood house. While the women went to get ready, the Doctor hurried into his TARDIS and checked out a possible time period when Airplane was playing at Sky-vue. He grinned when he found a dusk to dawn that was featuring it in June of 1980. The smile fell off his face when he saw what else was playing and he strolled back out of the TARDIS.

"Okay, everyone," he said when he asked everyone who was going to assemble in the living room. "There is a dusk to dawn that does have Airplane included. But the other movies are Empire Strikes Back, Flash Gordon and…Friday the 13th."

He nodded when the others sighed at that.

"Yup, so obviously unless it's the last movie, we might have to force the little ones to have a short kip and I think I'll be having one as well. Also the TARDIS did a scan of the area and White Castles was not at its present location in 1980 so if we want some, we'll have to stop off in another time period to pick them up. We'll also have to consider the kind of car we want to hire since I don't want to bring two or three people carriers that are from the year 2000 or later into 1980's Indiana. We might have to rent some estate cars or some open-back lorries rather than a people carrier. We'll have to see what they have when we get to the Avis. But I just wanted to inform you of that before we head off into the vortex. So now that I've informed you of that, everyone can finish getting ready to go."

He hurried off to his bedroom after sending a telepathic message for Theta, John and Doc to join him there.

"Yes?" Theta said when he closed the door and the brothers gathered around him.

"I was just thinking, what I said about letting our hair down and having a good time tonight. I think that should apply to our clothing. So for one night, let's ditch the suits and wear something casual like Adam and Alan do."

"Brilliant but I'll have to go home to get something," John said.

"No need. I have casual clothing that I've saved over the years for those times when I need them," the Doctor said, walking over to his chest of drawers. "Since you lot are basically me, you can borrow them. I just think tonight we should have a great time and not worry about anything, agreed?"

The others nodded and the Doctor opened his drawer and began passing out his casual clothes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh baby!" Rain said when they came downstairs dressed in tan shorts and t-shirts.

The Doctor wore a black t-shirt, John wore a dark blue one, Doc wore red and Theta wore yellow. Rain, Rosie and Frankie hurried over to admire their husbands.

"Hey, no fair, they're copying us," Alan said, tugging on the hem of his maroon t-shirt.

He was dressed in black trousers and Adam had on jeans and a grey t-shirt.

"Hey!" Adam protested as everyone laughed. "We want love too!"

"Yeah, we thought of the casual look first."

"For heaven's sake," Rose said, coming around Alan and embracing him. "You're such a big baby sometimes."

"I know, but you love me anyway," Alan said, hugging her.

"Yes, I do," Rose said, closing her eyes and smiling as he kissed the top of her head.

The Doctor held onto Rain and sent love into her mind. While he was doing that, he glanced over and his hearts ached when he noticed Doc was off to the side, watching wistfully as his brother's wives hugged them. He smiled when Namid came up to Doc and took his hand causing him to smile at her. But he wished that his brother could find someone. He wasn't pursuing Rose which was a good thing but at the same time, he didn't seem to like anyone else. The Doctor hoped that one day he might find someone like the rest of them had since being married to his wife was one of the best things that ever happened to him.

Once everyone broke off the hugs, they gathered up the things they needed and all of them headed towards the Doctor's TARDIS in the garage.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After heading to the location in 2009 to get their White Castles and get Alan his pie, they traveled backwards to June 16th, 1980. They managed to find the Avis they usually used whenever they went out to the drive-in movie, although it was not as big as in later years. Much to the Doctor's dismay there were no people carriers available so he rented three 1980 pickup trucks. The put their blankets and coolers of food in the back of one of them and everyone except the brothers climbed in the back. The six brothers divided themselves among the three pickup trucks and John and Theta followed the Doctor out of the parking lot and onto the road. It was about ten miles to the Sky-vue and to their relief, it wasn't crowded. They each paid the admission for their respective trucks and followed each other into the huge gravel lot. They parked backwards so that all of them could spread their blankets out and sit in back and they parked near their usual spot near the huge rectangular cinderblock building where the food and bathrooms were located. The Doctor picked up one of the speakers from the pole beside the truck and each brother used his screwdriver on it to amplify the sound coming out of it so they'd have no problem hearing the movies.

The Doctor and Alan sat in one truck with their wives, Tara, Imiko and the children who were clustered together near the front of the truck bed. In the second truck, John and Doc sat with Rosie, Donna, John and Ianto and in the third one, Theta and Adam sat with Marion, Frankie, Awinita and Mingxia. David pointed to the playground at the back of the lot

"Can we go play for awhile, Uncle Doctor?" David asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

Alan put his hand out when the Doctor started to get up.

"I'll look after the nipper kippers, you relax," he said.

"Thank you, Brother," he said as Alan crawled to the end and slid out after the children.

The Doctor turned slightly, stuck his head around the corner of the cab and watch Alan leading the giggling children towards the playground like the Pied Piper. All around him, he noticed cars were starting to fill in the gaps and a few had to stop and wait for the small army to pass before they drove into their spots.

"You're happy to be a father?"

The Doctor turned his head back around. Imiko was staring at him with a smile on her face as the night wind blew her long ebony hair around her thin face. He smiled in return and nodded as Rain took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"This is what I wanted for you all those years ago," Imiko said. "You are more important to the universe than even you know and it could not lose one of its greatest protectors. So, I was sent to make sure that you didn't lose hope and become the thing you most feared."

"Like my brother did," the Doctor said, glancing at Doc who was laughing with John and Rosie while he sat beside them.

"Hai, but as powerful as I am, I cannot control all the universes in creation. My main duty is to this one," she said. "Once you go beyond its borders, I am unable to assist you…in theory."

"In theory?" the Doctor said, smirking.

"I am a bit like you, Doctor-san. A bit of a…renegade, I believe is the word. However, I am not like my disowned sister, Hoshi. I am a renegade in a good way. At least, I like to think I am. I have lived many centuries, even more centuries than you have, Doctor-san, and as I told your brother, most mortals I have encountered wish only to use me for their own gain, even sexually, since I am told that I am attractive in human form."

The three of them nodded and she smiled at that before continuing.

"Your brother and his family were different though. I was sent to protect them by the TARDIS and I believed that I would only be a traveling companion and leave when my task had ended. But your brother and your wife and sisters were so generous and loving towards me and they included me as one of their family and I loved it so much that I took it upon myself to keep on watching over you and help when I can. And now here I am, being asked again to travel with you like the old days. I had no idea you missed me that much."

"We did," Rose said. "We were heartbroken when you left us that morning and we never saw you again. We'd gotten used to travelin' with you and you're right, you did become a part of our family."

"And I'm so glad you gave Bro that key because I also hate that we don't see you unless something is happening. I know you're a spirit but you're still our friend and I'm glad you came with us tonight."

"Me too, I love humans and think them fascination, again like the Doctor, hai?" she said as the Doctor chuckled. "My sisters think I'm…weird…because I often go among them, much more than they do to observe the humans and their culture. That is why I'm glad you asked me to do this because I have never been to an outdoor cinema before and sat in the back of an automobile in order to watch it."

"Come with us then."

Imiko turned her face towards the Doctor and studied him for a moment.

"Come with you, Doctor-san?"

"Come with us back to New Gallifrey and live. I mean, do you have to live with your sisters?" the Doctor asked.

"Not necessarily. I can live anywhere I choose but…you'd like that?"

"I would, yes!" the Doctor said as Rose and Rain nodded in agreement. "I also have missed your company and I hate that we only get to see you if there's trouble. Please come and live with us on New Gallifrey."

Imiko considered that.

"I cannot be there all the time because I do help to maintain the balance of the universe and Earth. But there is nothing wrong with me dwelling there while I go to check on the universe."

She thought for a moment.

"Do you have a big garden?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"When we return, if you don't mind, I will construct a small shrine in your garden. I can dwell there and if you need me, just come and call my name and I will come to you. I cannot exist in human form perpetually but that is a way for me to come and be with you and dwell with you and make sure you are protected as well as visit you."

"If that's what you need to do, do it," the Doctor said as Rose and Rain nodded.

"Then, hai, I will dwell on New Gallifrey and travel from there."

She laughed when all three of them grinned from ear to ear and all of them got up and gave her a hug which Imiko readily returned. Once they were settled back in their places, the Doctor glanced up and saw the sun was setting and mentally called to Alan to bring the children back so that everyone could eat something before the movies started.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The Doctor threw open his arms as the triplets scrambled up into the bed of the truck.

"Come to me, my children," he said melodramatically. "Come to me, I command…Oi!"

Rose laughed as the children turned and went towards her at the last minute. Imiko chuckled at the indignant look on the Doctor's face. Alan got up into the bed of the truck and walked over to him while the other children followed him.

"Bad luck, old man, I s'pose you'll just have to punish them," he said, sitting down near Rose. "Now my boy is slavishly devoted to me, aren't you, Son?"

"No."

Alan looked at the Doctor.

"Funny, yes sounded exactly like no just then, must be a hearing problem I'm havin', "he said as Chris giggled and crawled over to sit between him and his mother.

Alan pulled out the sacks of White Castles from a special insulated cooler that was designed to keep them warm. While he was doing that, the others got out of the back of their trucks and went over to the side to get their meals. Alan glanced at them when they all came up to the side.

"What are you lot doing here?" he said, feigning confusion.

"Getting our food, Smart Ass, and you better give it to us," Jack replied.

"Oh! You mean this isn't all mine? I'm sorry, I s'pose I was mistaken," Alan replied.

John leaned over the side and looked at Jackie.

"You're not eating with me and mummy?" he said to her.

"I can if you want me to."

"I want you to," John said quickly.

"Okay, I will then," Jackie said, getting up and heading towards the end.

Adam leaned over the side and looked at David and Cameron.

"You wanna come eat with Daddy and me?" he asked them.

David and Cameron looked at each other and nodded as they got up.

"What about our food, Daddy?" Cameron asked.

"I'll bring it to ya, just go ahead and go find a place to sit before the film starts," Theta said to him.

Alan passed out the sacks with burgers, fish, chicken sandwiches and chicken rings to everyone. He smiled as he held out a couple of burgers to Imiko.

"Would you like to try some?"

Imiko grinned.

"Hai, I would, thank you," she said, taking it from him.

"No problem. We usually go inside the building over here for more snacks so no worries about taking a few for yourself and…"

He trailed off when he heard Namid's breathing in his ear while she was looking over his shoulder. He smirked and shut his eyes.

"Oh Rose, yes," he said as the Doctor chortled. "Oh, yes Rose, breathe into my ear and…AH!"

Alan let out a yell when he opened his eyes and looked at Namid. He feigned shock as he put a hand over his right heart.

"Oh my God, it's you. I thought my wife was being a bit naughty tonight," he said as the adults laughed.

"I want my chicken rings, Uncle Alan. I don't know what they look like," Namid said, staring into his eyes.

"What was I doing just now?" Alan said.

"Passing out the food."

"Mm-hmm, do you think that means that perhaps you'll get your chicken rings eventually if you're patient enough?"

"No! Give them to me now!" Namid said.

Sokanon came up beside her.

"Yeah, give us our food."

The adults laughed when Alan was suddenly surrounded by the triplets.

"Um, is this a mugging?" Alan said to them.

"We just want our food," Sokanon said.

"Sokanon, Namid, Chaska, over here and let him pass it out to the others," the Doctor said sternly. "You can wait a few minutes until he gets done."

"Oooo, you just got in troooooooooouble!" Alan said as the three of them went to sit down around the Doctor's legs.

The Doctor relaxed and checked his watch while Alan finished passing out the food. He handed the triplet's and Rain's food to the Doctor who passed it out to them and then he opened a cold cooler for their soft drinks. The Doctor pulled a burger out of its container and bit into it, savoring the greasy taste, mixed with the chopped onions and pickles that lay on top of it. He looked over at his daughter who was munching on her chicken ring.

"Is it good?" he asked her as he accepted her Coke from Alan and placed it in front of her.

"Yeah, but…they're weird looking. I didn' t know they looked like this," Namid said, pointing to the donut-like chicken.

"Well, that's why they're called chicken rings," the Doctor said, handing Chaska and Sokanon their Cokes before taking his own from Alan.

Alan shot Imiko an apologetic look when he noticed she'd finished her burgers and was sitting quietly, observing them all with a small smile on her face. Alan picked up one of his burger boxes and offered it to her. Imiko giggled.

"No, Alan-san, I'm fine. I enjoyed the burgers you gave me but I don't need much sustenance. You go ahead and eat."

Alan nodded and put the box back down. Rose snuggled against him while she ate some of her chips. Alan suddenly had a thought.

"Do we know what movie's up first? Doctor…"

He shut up when he saw the Doctor was staring over at the next truck with an angry look on his face.

"Brother? What's wrong?" he said, looking around.

He noticed John was smirking at him and patting Tara on the head while she giggled.

"Is there a problem, old man?" John called to him.

"Yeah, you have my daughter, you homewrecker!" the Doctor replied. "What are you doing over there instead of sitting with me and your other mother?"

"There's no room, Daddy," Tara said.

The Doctor gestured to the wide open space between him and Rain as they laughed.

"What's this then?" he said, pointing to it. "I think that will be more than enough for you and…"

He trailed off when Namid suddenly grabbed her Coke and bag of food and ran out of the truck. The Doctor watched with feigned anger as she ran next door, climbed up into the truck bed and ran over to Doc.

"Homewreckers!" the Doctor said, shaking his fist at them. "I'll see you both in court as soon as we get back home."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," John said, opening and closing his hand rapidly. "All talk and no action."

The Doctor looked at Donna who was in the third truck. She was seated in between Mingxia and Awinita, eating a chicken sandwich while she chatted quietly with them.

"Donna, attack!" the Doctor said to her.

Mingxia and Awinita bent over laughing when Donna gave him a shocked look.

"I'm not even paying attention to your stupid little rant," she said to him. "I'm over here, eating and chatting with my sisters."

"You're also my sister and you're s'posed to defend me and my honor. Now sic em!"

"I'm not your flippin' doggie, thanks," Donna replied before she ignored him and went back to talking to Awinita.

"Isn't anyone gonna fight for me?" the Doctor said mournfully.

He grinned when Chaska got up.

"That's it, Son, go get em!" the Doctor said as Chaska ran and jumped down off the bed of the truck.

They all watched as Chaska climbed up into the bed of the second truck. John quickly stood up and assumed a karate stance.

"Go on, ya tiddler, I'm not afraid of your scrawny, shrimpy self!" he said.

"Fight!" Adam said excitedly, getting up and running off the bed of the third truck.

John crowed with delight when Adam climbed up into the second truck and stood behind Chaska. With a grin, Doc stood up and stood beside his brother and a second later, Jack and Ianto stood up and surrounded him.

"Okay, now try it, tiddler boy!" John said with a sneer.

He glanced over Adam's head and sighed when the movie previews suddenly started.

"Blast, the movie's about to begin. But we'll finish this later, tiddler."

"What does that even mean?" Chaska said.

"Tiddler's a minnow. It can also be used when a child is a shrimpy runt like you are."

He laughed when Chaska let out a tiny yell and barreled into him before laughing and giving him a hug. John patted him on the head and sent love into his mind before they sat down and Adam hurried back to his place in the other truck.

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The first movie was Empire Strikes Back. Namid had listened to it before but seeing it was a whole different ballgame. She was amazed at just what she had been missing and eventually she stopped eating and just sat and took the whole movie in while she rested against Doc's body. Doc had a slight smile on his face and had his arm draped lazily over her left shoulder while he watched the movie. Namid felt a tap on her shoulder and glanced over at Jackie who had her cup of Coke in her hand.

"Hey, you got anymore of those burgers?" her cousin asked.

Namid shrugged.

"Dada," she whispered to him, "we got more burgers?"

Doc grabbed the bag that was on the other side of his right leg. He glanced into it, pulled out a cheeseburger and handed it to Jackie. Jackie thanked him and crawled on her knees back to John and Rosie who were snuggled against each other.

"I just assume kiss a Wookie. I can arrange that," Jack said, parroting the dialogue in the movie.

Adam chuckled.

"You scruffy-lookin' nerfherder!" he said to him.

"Who're you callin' scruffy-lookin'?" Jack replied.

Namid looked up at Doc.

"Dada, is the scary movie on next?" she whispered.

"I have no idea, Ya'nala, I think your other father has the piece of paper that lists the order of the movies on it."

He took his arm off her shoulder when she crawled to the end, slid down and ran over to the truck beside him.

"My long, lost daughter, at last you've returned to me!" they heard him saying.

John rolled his eyes while Rosie snickered. He glanced at Doc.

"He'll run that whole we kidnapped his children thing into the ground until the day he takes his last breath," he said to him.

The Doctor put his arm over Namid's shoulder.

"Come to enjoy Star Wars with your old man?" he asked her.

"Yes but…when is the scary movie on?" Namid whispered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Third. Airplane is next and Flash Gordon is last," he whispered back.

"Can I watch the scary one, Daddy?" she whispered.

"Yeah, me too," Chaska said, looking back at them while he lay on his stomach in front of his feet.

"You wanna watch a horror movie?" The Doctor said to them.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before he looked at Rain.

"Latara, have you ever seen Friday the 13th before?" he whispered.

"Once, when I was little," she whispered back.

"Would it be too horrifying for ten year olds?"

Rain considered that while the Doctor waited for her answer.

"Well…it's not as bad as Saw or Hostel. It's not all that disgusting torture porn. I mean it is a bit graphic but…Love, they went through the ordeal with the Master five years ago and I think that would have been more traumatizing to them than a horror movie. At least the horror movie is fake."

"I'm brave, Daddy. I won't be afraid," Chaska said, looking back at him.

"I'll be brave too, Daddy," Sokanon said as she sat beside Imiko.

"Me too," Namid echoed.

"I'm brave, Daddy," Christopher said to Alan. "Can I see it?"

"It's your call, Dear," Rain whispered to him.

"I'd rather you didn't but your mum's right, if you can survive the Master, you can survive a slasher film. But…I wanna know if it gets too scary for you, yeah?"

The triplets nodded. Christopher looked up at Alan and Rose expectantly. Alan sighed and made eye contact with Rose for a moment before nodded.

"But, you hear your uncle? That goes for you as well. First time you get too scared, you tell me, alright?" Alan said to him.

Christopher nodded his head before he lay on his stomach beside Chaska and turned his attention back to the movie.

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Once the movie was over, lights came up on the sides of the building beside them and they all slid out to stretch their legs.

"Can we get popcorn, Daddy?" Jackie asked John.

"I s'pose so," John said to her.

The other children clamored for popcorn and let out a yell when their fathers agreed to it. Jack smirked.

"So…you gonna go in…together?" he asked the Doctor.

"You just love it when we do this, don't you?" he asked Jack.

"I get an enormous kick out of people's reactions? Yes."

"What does he mean?" Imiko said to the Doctor.

He chuckled.

"Follow us and watch the other people," he said to her.

Curious, she followed the six brothers as they fell in together behind the three Roses. The rest of the family and the giggling kids brought up the rear. Imiko was walking beside Mingxia.

"What's going on?" Imiko asked her.

Mingxia giggled.

"Almost everywhere we go now, the six of them turn heads because they see Sextuplets and triplets whenever the Doctors and the Roses go in together. We just laugh at people's reactions," she said to her.

"And believe me, they get a lot of pretty women looking their way," Awinita said. "And the men all ogle the Roses. It's great."

They all entered the building and Imiko kept close watch on everyone. Almost immediately, she noticed some people doing a double take and stopping to stare at them as the Doctors and Roses pretended to ignore them and grouped together to find out what everyone wanted. Imiko giggled at the stunned reactions and her sensitive ears picked up the whispered comments from both men and women about how sexy the brothers and the sisters looked.

"See, never gets old," Awinita said to Imiko.

After they got the food orders straight, the Doctor, Alan and John got in the queue while the others went to the restroom and milled about, waiting for them and trying to pretend they weren't being gawked at. The Doctor stood in the queue and talked to his brothers while the line slowly moved forward. When they reached the popcorn section, they took five enormous buckets and gave them to the lady behind the counter so she could put butter on them. While they were waiting for her to finish that, the Doctor glanced at a young lady who was standing in front of him. She was short and thin with long black hair that hung down her back. She had on a white tank top, jean shorts and sandals. Her green eyes stared at him intently and she batted her long eyelashes at him as she smiled warmly.

"Six of ya, eh?" she said with a slightly southern accent.

"Yes, we're sextuplets," the Doctor said as Alan nudged John and they fought to keep from laughing. "Those three women over there are triplets. My two brothers behind me and one over there married them."

"Really?" the woman said. "How 'bout you then, Pretty Eyes?"

"I'm married as well," he said.

The Doctor had to keep from laughing when he saw the crestfallen look on her face. He and his brothers took their buckets of popcorn and thanked the lady behind the counter before moving on towards the cash register. The woman smiled back at them.

"I'm Stacy, by the way," she said.

"I'm Roger. This is Alan and John and that's Adam," he nodded towards Theta, " that's Basil and my other brother is Cyril."

"British?"

"Yup," the Doctor said, grabbing a large pickle for his wife from the counter and handing it back to Alan who had a free hand. "We're British subjects. The triplets are as well. We met them in Leicester at a multiple British births convention."

"I see," Stacy said as they moved along. "So…are any of you single?"

Doc sighed when he saw all three brothers jab their fingers at him and Stacy looking towards him with interest. Doc looked at Jack.

"I hate when they do that. I'm not interested in dating right now," he said to Jack. "They think it's funny when women come up and practically throw themselves at me."

"Well, all the other Doctors have someone, they just want the same for you," Jack said.

Doc sighed.

"Yes, I know that, but…"

"But…what? Rose? You don't wanna date anyone after Rose?" Jack said.

"Partly, but there's another one besides Rose that…well, we had a falling out once and my hearts got broken then as well."

"Grace? Your Grace, I mean," Jack said.

"No. I had feelings for her and I admit I toyed with the idea of a relationship but I had another lover long before that."

"Who?" Jack asked, interested.

"I'd rather not say her name if you don't mind. It was a pretty painful split," Doc said.

"But she didn't die, right?"

"No, she didn't die but I felt like I died inside. I regenerated when we were lovers. It was during my fifth life that we fell in love and my sixth incarnation was bonkers and that was too much for her. I didn't really love again until Rose and after I left her with John, I didn't feel like being with anyone else. And now, that she and him are married, I really don't want anyone, at least not at the moment. Namid is my daughter and for the moment, I'm satisfied with that."

Jack nodded and didn't say anything further but curiosity burned inside him. Doc was from a parallel universe which meant that it might not do any good to ask the Doctor since the relationship might not have happened to him. He had talked to his brother at length over the past two centuries and he knew the Doctor didn't date anyone after Sharina left him and Grace had been the first woman he kissed in centuries. Unless he was lying, Jack didn't know of any lover between his ex-wife and Rose. He considered asking John privately since John would have knowledge of it but thought twice about it. He figured Doc's clone wouldn't divulge anything that personal unless Doc gave him his permission. Still, he couldn't help but ask one more question.

"This mystery woman, have you ever considered going back and searching for her?" Jack asked him. "I mean, you're not in your sixth life anymore and Imiko cured you of being the Valeyard. If she was your first great love, wouldn't you like to try to find her?"

"Perhaps, but I think she's dead now," Doc said, trying not to show any emotion. "At least I think she is."

"But you're not sure..." Jack said. "I mean, I'm sorry if I'm bothering ya, Doc, but…I'd love to see you have just as much happiness as the rest of us."

Doc smiled at that.

"Thanks, Jack. I might try to find her someday but for the moment, I'm content with things as they are," he replied.

Jack nodded and fell silent. When his brothers finally paid for the popcorn and pickle and came up to them, he fell in behind all of them and followed them out to the trucks, his mind still reeling from what Doc had just said to him.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

By the time they got back outside and divvied up the popcorn, Airplane was starting. Jack settled back with Ianto and tried to watch it but his eyes kept drifting over to Doc who was laughing at the movie along with the others. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and shifted his body so he could see the Doctor. He put a privacy block around his mind and told him what Doc had said. He could tell from the shocked look on his face that this mystery love affair hadn't happened to him, which made him all the more curious about who the woman was.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rain giggled at the movie and smiled when Namid, who was snuggled against her right side, did the same. She started to take some popcorn from the bucket in between her and the Doctor when she noticed the stunned look on his face.

"What? What is it, what's wrong?" she whispered.

The Doctor turned his eyes to her, put up a privacy block, and told her what Jack had told him.

_But…I thought you said you didn't have a lover after Sharina until Rose came along,_ she thought to him when he finished relating the information to her.

_I didn't. This is something new. Something that happened to Doc that didn't happen to me,_ he thought back.

_You don't have any idea who it might be?_ Rain thought.

_Not a clue. I wasn't interested in anybody romantically at that point,_ he thought back. _I was married to Sharina and then you and Rose are the only real loves of my lives and that's it for me. I couldn't tell ya who this woman was that Doc loved. _

_And he won't look for her?_

The Doctor shrugged.

_I expect it's too painful for him, _he thought._ Maybe in time he'll be ready to search for her, but at the moment we have to respect his wishes and not press him for further information on this. I told Jack not to ask John either since I'm sure if Doc gets wind of it, it'll make him angry. _

Rain nodded and the Doctor lifted the privacy block. She snuggled close to him and he kissed her head before he turned his attention back to the movie.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Airplane ended, they got up again to stretch and use the restroom. By now, scores of people were leaving the lot and they tried to talk to one another amid the sounds of car engines and the honking horns of impatient drivers. While they stood together, Namid tugged on Doc's trousers and he looked down at her.

"Did you like it?" she said.

"I did. I thought it was hilarious," he said to her.

"It is hilarious until your husband downloads ringtones for it," Rose said, looking over her shoulder at him.

"I like my ringtones," Alan said defensively.

"He let me listen after he downloaded em," Namid said to Doc. "He has the part when the guy says, surely you can't be serious, I am serious, and don't call me Shirley and he has the one where the weird guy says, the tower, Rapunzel, Rapunzel."

Jack bent over laughing when he heard her say that. He looked at Adam and both of them ran off and began to skip along in front of the trucks, flinging their arms out while they yelled out the line. Namid giggled.

"He also has the guy who said it was the wrong week to stop sniffing glue," she said to Doc. "I'm glad I got to see it because I saw a lot of things I missed when I was just listening and seeing what Uncle Alan showed me."

Alan came up beside her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Joey, you ever watch films about gladiators?" he quoted to her.

"What does that mean though? Cause I still couldn't figure that out," Namid said.

Alan glanced up at Doc who sniggered.

"It's a grown up joke, you'll find out when you get older," he said, patting her on the head.

"Ah, nuts!" Namid said as Doc bent over and kissed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After the movie, the Doctor took Namid inside to use the toilet.

"Are you having fun, Sweetie?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you for taking me," she replied.

"Aw, it was my pleasure. I'm just glad you're enjoying your eyesight now."

He paused outside the women's restroom and let her go inside. He leaned up against the wall beside the entrance, stuck his hands in his pockets, and casually glanced out the glass double doors beside him, watching the previews that were still being played on the screen while the cars continued to leave.

_Brother, it's Theta, where are you?_

The Doctor leaned up when he heard Theta's voice in his mind.

_I'm inside the building near the loos,_ he thought back.

_Okay, stay right there, I wanna talk to you for a moment._

The Doctor slumped back against the wall and lazily watched the people walking by him. A few of the women stopped to admire him and he gave them a lopsided smile before he turned back to his thoughts. A few minutes later, Theta came around the corner and the Doctor leaned back up when he approached him. Theta glanced around.

"Rain told me what Doc said to Jack," he said softly. "She said you never had a lover in your fifth life and I didn't either. I have no idea who it could be. "

"Well, I think it's best not to ask Doc. If he wants to tell us, he will, but until then we have respect his decision to remain single and wait for him to make the first move, dating-wise."

Theta nodded. He smiled when Namid emerged from the restroom and walked over to them.

"Who're you?" she said, pointing to Theta.

"I'm the bogey monster, ready to eat you," he said with wide eyes.

Namid sniffed him.

"Nope, you're Uncle Theta. You smell like washing powder."

"How come he smells like biscuits but I smell like I've just been through the wash?" he said to her.

She giggled and shrugged. The Doctor glanced out the door and noticed the dancing cancan balloon girl animation that signaled one minute was left to showtime was on the screen. The Doctor had always been amused by the little cartoons that counted down every other preview from the five minute mark to showtime. The cartoons looked like they'd been made back in the 1950's and the cancan one was a woman with a human head, arms and legs but three balloons for her belly and what resembled her breasts. She danced around and then all three balloons popped before 1 MINUTE TO SHOWTIME came up on the screen in big bold letters. The Doctor gestured to Theta and Namid and they walked out of the building.

When they got outside, they noticed Adam, John, Alan and Jack were splitting their sides laughing while the others sat inside the trucks and watched them with bemused looks on their faces.

"What's this then?" the Doctor said as they walked up.

"Oh blimey, Brother, you missed it," Alan said as he and his brothers came up to them. "They had a couple of new cartoons along with the counting down ones. The new ones were advertising the food and one of them had this German boffin who apparently was in charge of making the food and…"

He giggled uncontrollably and Adam took over.

"He spoke with a heavy German accent while he was talking about all the delicious food inside the building and when he talked about the hot dogs, he described them as…"

He looked at Alan, John and Jack and as one they yelled out…

"DE-LOOOOOOOMPTIOUS HOT DOGGIES!"

The Doctor glanced at Theta and Namid giggled as the four of them bent over laughing. Doc shook his head as he sat in his truck.

"Personally, I didn't think it was quite that funny," he said to the Doctor and Theta.

The Doctor grinned when Alan followed him to his truck while at the same time saying, "De-looooomptious hot doggies!" to himself. Rose rolled her eyes when they climbed up into the bed of the truck.

"Now, I'll be hearing this nonstop for several months," she said, gesturing to Alan.

"Alan!" Adam called to him.

Alan looked over.

"De-looooooooomptious hot doggies!" Adam yelled.

Alan sniggered as Rose sighed and gave the Doctor a pleading look.

"Wanna switch husbands with me, Sis?" she said to Rain.

"Not on your life," Rain said while the Doctor giggled.

Namid snuggled against her father and took some of the popcorn that was left as the movie started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About five minutes in, Rain glanced at her husband and noticed that unlike the first two movies when he had been relaxed and smiling, he was now sitting there, arms folded across his chest with a bored look on his face. She glanced at her children. Namid was eating popcorn, her eyes glued to the screen, and Sokanon, Chaska and Christopher were on their stomachs in front of them, silently watching. She glanced at Imiko and saw the confused expression on her face while she watched it. Imiko had watched movies with them when they traveled together but never horror movies and she guessed from her friend's expression that she was probably wondering why anyone would make a movie that showed people getting killed. She shifted uneasily when the scene shifted to two young camp counselors having sex.

"Blast," the Doctor muttered to himself, "would have to show this rubbish."

"Daddy, what are they doing?" Namid asked him.

"Things that only adults do, Rainbow, and you are not to ask any more questions about that," he said.

"Gross," Christopher said to Chaska.

"Yeah, when are they gonna get to the killings?"

Rain glanced at her husband and saw the shocked look on his face as he stared at his son.

"He's a ten year old boy," she whispered in his ear. "Ten year olds say things like that. Calm down."

"I just wished they'd shown this last," the Doctor whispered back. "That way we could have gone home and avoided it."

He jerked his head around when he heard the woman scream and saw it freeze-frame on her horrified face as an axe descended towards her head. Namid tapped him on the shoulder.

"Someone killed that lady?" she asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"Why?"

Rain giggled when the Doctor gave her a bemused look.

"I don't know. I s'pose the killer was bored and had nothing better to do than to cleave their heads open with an axe. Maybe he doesn't like blondes. I've never seen this film before, Rainbow, so I'm afraid I can't answer the deep philosophical questions you have about why someone is killing these teenagers. That's just the nature of horror films."

Namid grabbed another handful of popcorn as the Doctor settled back into his crossed arms, bored demeanor. They heard tinny music and the Doctor glanced over at Alan who was now playing his DS and completely ignoring the film.

"Why didn't I think of that?" he said to Rain. "We could have brought your DS and worked on the amusement park we haven't worked on in donkey's years."

Rain giggled at the memory and snuggled against her husband. The Doctor continued to watch it in order to make sure the children were alright but the whole movie bored him and he hoped it would end quickly so they could move on to Flash Gordon.

"Hey, isn't that Kevin Bacon?" he heard Jack say.

"Yeah, I think it is," Ianto replied.

"I'll be damned. I didn't know he was in this," Jack commented. "So this is how he got his start."

"Johnny Depp is in the first Nightmare on Elm Street," Awinita yelled to him.

"He is?" Jack said, glancing at her.

"Yup, gets killed too. He gets devoured by his bed and blood gushes up like a fountain onto the ceiling. That's how he got his start!"

The Doctor snorted at that and Rain giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Did they turn Johnny Depp's body into de-looomptious hot doggies when they found the corpse?"

Alan and John sniggered when they heard Adam ask Awinita that. The Doctor grinned when Alan got a severe case of the giggles and had to put his DS down because he couldn't stop laughing.

"You git! I was in the middle of my game!" he said to Adam when he was able to stop giggling long enough to talk.

"I'm sorry, I'm just thinking of what they might have done with the corpse," Adam said to him. "And now that I've said that, I think I will go into the snack dispensary and get myself a de-looomptious hot doggie."

"I WANT ONE TOO!"

The Doctor bent over laughing when every single ten year old said that at the same time.

"Never say that phrase aloud in front of the children, mate," the Doctor said to Adam. "Now you're stuck carrying out a bunch of food for them."

"I want another Coke too," Namid said to Adam.

The children chorused out with "Me too!" Alan gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I'll go with ya, mate," he said, laying his DS beside Rose.

"Me too, I don't wanna watch this rubbish," Theta said.

"Nor me," Doc added.

Rain glanced at her husband.

"What about you, Love?"

He shook his head.

"I wanna sit here in case they get scared," he said, gesturing to the children. "I think they have enough hands to carry out the food especially since I notice Donna and Mingxia are going now too."

"I'm sorry, this film is disgusting. I don't wanna see it anymore. Had enough horrors travelin' with you," Donna said as she went past their truck.

"Which is why I never watch horror movies," the Doctor replied.

"Daddy…"

He glanced down when he heard Namid call his name in a scared voice. He glanced up and noticed someone was watching from the woods as a nude couple snogged each other in the lake. He put his arm around Namid and kissed her head, comforting her as she pressed half of her face against his t-shirt and watched the action with one eye, both curious about what was going to happen but at the same time ready to bury her face in her father's side if it got too scary. Rain reached over and took her hand, giving it a squeeze while they both sent love into her mind. The Doctor glanced at the other children. Sokanon was watching the movie through her hands but Chaska and Christopher seemed unconcerned about what was going to happen while they lay on their stomachs and casually raised and lowered their legs. He heard Rose let out a bored yawn and noticed that Imiko had stopped watching and now looked like she was deep in meditation. Glancing over at the other trucks, he noticed Jack had his arm around Ianto while they watched quietly and the children were clustered around Adam who was comforting them while they watched. In the last truck, John was holding Jackie to him while Tara sat beside him against the back window, Arms behind her head while she watched with a blank expression on her face. He glanced back down at Namid and kissed her head when he saw she was even more terrified.

"Rainbow, come with me for a moment. I need to go to the loo," he said gently.

"Okay," Namid said softly.

He got up on his knees and rubbed Sokanon's back.

"Soki, love, wanna come with me for a moment?" he said when he noticed she was still watching through her fingers.

"Yeah, I don't like this part," Sokanon said, getting up.

He glanced at the boys and noticed they weren't afraid and were discussing the movie quietly while they watched. He got out of the truck with his daughters and walked with them inside the building.

"I don't really need to go, I just noticed you were scared and thought it might be better to come into a nice, warm, lighted building for a moment," he said as they went inside.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I'm trying to be brave like you, but some of that stuff is scary," Namid said.

"Yeah, I'm getting scared too but I wanna be brave like you too," Sokanon said.

He smiled tenderly at that and waved at his family who were in the queue.

"Are you lot alright?" Alan said.

"Yeah, they got scared so I took them in here for a moment where it's well lighted and safe," he said to them.

He winced when a woman's scream came through the speaker mounted on the wall.

"Just in time it seems," he muttered.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Namid said as they walked over to the blue cinderblock half wall that separated the queue from the rest of the room.

"For what?" the Doctor said, glancing at her with a frown on his face.

"I'm trying to be brave and I'm a chicken," she said.

"Yeah, me too," Sokanon said.

The Doctor chuckled and kissed their heads.

"You're both very brave. You stood up to the Valeyard and the Master five years ago and that's nothing to sneeze at," he said to them. "This is your first horror movie and you're only ten years old, I don't blame you for being scared. I may be brave but I still get scared sometimes."

"You do?" Sokanon said in disbelief.

"Sure. Being scared helps keep you alive because fear can make you cautious. If you were always brave, you'd be plunging headlong into situations without a care for life or limb and going through all thirteen lives in a trice."

"What made you scared, Daddy?" Namid asked.

"Ooooh, lots and lots of things have scared me. I'm a very old man and I've seen a lot in my ten lives," he said.

Sokanon giggled.

"You're not old, Daddy. You're young," Sokanon said, pointing to his face.

He grinned.

"Ah, thank you for saying that, Soki, but my face stays this way for the duration of this life. I've had ten lives and I'm nearly fifteen hundred years old now."

He chuckled at the shocked looks on his daughter's faces and patted their heads as his family finished paying for the food and came over to join them.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Ah, you missed it!" Jack said when they got back to the trucks.

"Missed what?" the Doctor asked.

"Kevin Bacon is no more," Jack said.

"Really? What happened to Mister Footloose?" Alan said as he waited to climb up into the bed of the truck.

Frankie rolled her eyes.

"He was lying on a bed and this harpoon point came up through the bed and up through his throat," she said to them.

"Yeah, Daddy," Christopher said, as he got inside and handed him and Chaska their hot dogs, "and when it happened, blood gushed up and he was gasping for air before he snuffed it."

"Charming," Alan said dryly as he went to sit down beside Rose.

"One other woman got her throat slit as she stood up against a tree," Rose said to him. "That was charming as well."

Alan shook his head.

"Hate horror films," he muttered as he picked up his DS.

He resumed his game and then heard Namid breathing in his ear again. He closed his eyes.

"Oh, Rose, breathe harder for me and…Ah!"

Rose laughed when Namid rolled her eyes. She took a bite of her hot dog.

"What are you playing?" she said between the mouthful of food.

"I'm playing a game called dodge the hotdog pieces and spit from my niece's open gob," he said to her.

"Mi-mi, don't talk with your mouth full," Rain said sternly. "Your uncle doesn't want hot dog all over his face."

Namid swallowed the food in her mouth.

"Sorry, Mummy…so whatcha playin'?" she asked as Sokanon came over to look.

"Civilization," he said.

"What do you do?"

"You build up civilizations from the ground up and run them and battle others," Alan said. "It's the perfect game for a Time Lord such as myself. It makes me feel like God!"

Namid and Sokanon giggled when he stared at them with wide eyes.

"Hi, God," Sokanon said.

"Greetings, young one, art thou behaving thyself?" Alan said in a deep voice.

"I…s'pose," Sokanon said.

"Good. Now begone and watch thy film so I can resume my game, mortal!" he said to them.

Namid and Sokanon exchanged a glance before they crawled back to their father.

"Uncle Alan is weird sometimes, Daddy," Sokanon said.

She giggled when the Doctor gave her a shocked look.

"You're just finding this out now?" he said while Alan chuckled.

Both girls sat beside their parents as they finished their hot dogs and Coke. The Doctor glanced at them both as they munched on them.

"My darlings, I am in awe that you can sit there and eat Cybermen meat while you watch people get sliced and diced on the screen," he said to them.

The children were finished with the hot dogs by the time they were near the end of the movie. The Doctor cocked his eyebrow when he saw the last girl running around screaming while various dead bodies popped up from everywhere.

"Met a few like that before," he murmured to Rain. "Ones who loved to show off their kills."

"Like Jasper," Rain murmured back.

The Doctor's face darkened.

"Yeah, like him," he said to her. "Although the fact that this boy's mum was the one doing the killings is a surprise."

"Yeah, I forgot Jason's mother was the killer in the first one," she whispered back. "Jason takes over for her and there are ninety million sequels so it's easy to forget."

"I think there are ninety million sequels to every horror movie," the Doctor whispered back while she nodded. "And most of them end like this with one hysterical screaming female trying to outrun the killer."

He grinned and raised his voice so Rose could hear him.

"Now…if this were Rose, she would have grabbed an oar and bashed the old woman's head in immediately instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

Rain laughed when Rose set her Coke down, crawled over to him and gave him a big hug.

"Too right I would," she said softly. "Although, I don't think even I could do it half as well as Donna could."

"Oh blimey, Donna would hit her and then stand there for a half hour beating the corpse's head into a bloody goo while screaming at the top of her lungs," the Doctor said while Rose sniggered.

He smiled when she kissed his cheek and crawled back to her spot beside Alan.

"And furthermore," Rose said, leaning up to look at the Doctor. "Furthermore, I would not scream like that since that usually alerts the killer and lets them know where you are."

"Spot on, ya clever girl," the Doctor said while everyone else in the truck laughed. "See, I taught ya well. Rule one, don't wander off. Rule two, don't strip down to your knickers and run in a blind panic, screaming like a banshee while a killer follows your voice. Rule Three; never have sex because according to these movies, if you have sex, you die."

"Got that right. The one that's left is usually the goody-two-shoes virgin who doesn't have sex or do drugs," Rain said to him.

"Right and that's a good thing because after witnessing all her friends getting chopped up into steak and kidney pie, she can renounce the world and join a nunnery where she'll never have to see such things ever, ever again."

He took a sip of his Coke and glanced at Namid who was sipping her Coke with him.

"Mi-mi, why am I so cute?" he said to her.

He giggled when Namid got an odd look on her face, put her cup of Coke down and stared at him.

"Huh?" she said.

"Just answer the question," he said. "Why am I so cute?"

"I didn't think you were."

She grabbed her Coke and ran away as the Doctor's mouth dropped open and Rain and Rose chortled. They watched as she jumped down, ran to the third truck, got up in it and ran to Doc.

"Howdy," Doc said as she sat down beside him. "Come to watch the splatterfest with me now?"

"Yeah, and I needed to get away before Daddy punched me into goo," Namid said.

Doc looked over at the Doctor who was giving him an incensed look.

"What's this about punching my daughter into goo?" he said to him.

"I asked the child why I'm so cute and she said I wasn't. So now the little cabbagehead must pay for her insult," he said while everyone laughed.

Doc looked at Namid.

"Why did you say that? He is cute," he said to her.

"Cause I wanna make him mad so he'll do something silly," Namid said loudly.

Suddenly in her mind's eye, the Doctor stepped into view.

"Make me do something silly? Okay, here's something silly for ya!" the mental Doctor said.

Namid giggled when a clown suit and wig appeared on him and a unicycle appeared under him. Namid laughed when the Doctor rode around in a circle while he juggled silver platters.

"This silly enough for ya, Rainbow?" mental Doctor yelled as he rode around and around in a circle.

"Daddy, quit that!" Namid said while the Doctor giggled.

"You wanted me to do something silly, so I did," he said to her as he shrugged.

Suddenly Namid and most of the other women and girls let out a scream. The woman had survived her ordeal with Jason's mom and was lying in a rowing boat when a ten year old Jason suddenly leapt up out of the water and pulled her down under. Doc and John both grabbed their daughters and soothed them while Rain did the same with Sokanon.

"That was ace!" David said as the other boys laughed. "Ah man, that was the best part of the whole film!"

Doc, Rain, the Doctor and John calmed their daughter's rattled nerves while the credits rolled and the lights came back up.

"Are you alright, Ya'nala?" Doc said as he rubbed Namid's arm.

"Yeah, I just didn't expect that, Dada," she said. "I'm okay now."

"She's not the only one who screamed. Donna just about wet herself, I think," Awinita said to them.

"Too right I did. I'm glad I got two hearts cause I think one of them stopped beating when that kid rose up out of the water," she said, placing her hand over her left heart. "I'm off to the loo now and hopefully I can get my second heart started again."

"I'll go with you," Frankie said.

"Me too," Marion added, getting up.

The adult women except for Imiko got up and went together to the restroom while the men sat with the kids and tried to calm the girls down. Christopher and Chaska sat back on their butts while they reached for their Cokes. Chaska glanced around and noticed Sokanon was cuddled up against her father while she sipped her drink. The Doctor watched the preview while he rubbed her back. Chaska stared at her in shock when he noticed how shaken she was.

"What are ya scared for? That wasn't nothin'. It wasn't even the scariest thing in the whole movie," Chaska said to her.

"Chaska, stop," the Doctor chided him.

"Yeah, but it wasn't that scary. Me and Christopher didn't scream, why did you?"

"Chaska," the Doctor said in a warning tone of voice.

"I didn't think that was gonna happen, okay?" Sokanon said to him. "I got scared. Daddy said it's okay to be scared sometimes, even he gets scared, so clear off and leave me alone."

Chaska shook his head.

"Girls," he muttered as Christopher nodded in agreement.

"I'm brave enough," Sokanon muttered under her breath as she sipped her Coke.

"Yes, you are, you're very brave," the Doctor whispered in her ear.

Sokanon pressed her cheek against his t-shirt as the Doctor kissed her head. He feigned surprise when Tara came back out of the building and walked towards his truck.

"My wife is back over there, you overshot him," he said, pointing to John.

He giggled when she eyed him before climbing inside.

"I thought I'd share the last movie with you," she said to him.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you. It's nice to know you still wanna spend time with me and not spend all your time with the misses over there."

"Piss off, Wifey-poo!" John called to him.

"No and get to work on my alimony check, home wrecker!" the Doctor said as the children laughed. "And tell the Ball and Chain beside ya to send my other daughter back to me."

"Hey, Ball and Chain…" John said, poking Doc's arm.

"Adam, Theta, go and rough him up for me so he'll stop referring to us as the misses and ball and chain," Doc said to them.

"I will if you give me some de-looomptious hot doggies," Adam said.

John and Namid giggled as Doc rolled his eyes.

"You know, that bit wasn't that amusing," he said to him.

"That's because you're my age, Doc. The clones are much, much younger and Jack…well….Jack's Jack and that's a fact."

"Oho, listen to the Rhyme Lord over there," Jack said while the children giggled. "I'm sorry if I seem immature and childish to you."

"You are," the Doctor said.

"Yeah, you're right, he is, take it from me," Ianto replied.

"Quit butting in…Wifey-poo," Jack said while Theta and Adam chortled.

The Doctor glanced at Imiko and noticed she was listening quietly with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm betting you watched a lot of this when you traveled with the likes of him," he said, pointing at Alan.

"Hai, I am very used to this type of behavior when I'm around all of you," she said. "But I like it. I think it's funny the way you talk to one another."

"Yeah, well, everyone over the years has sorta created their own dynamic with one another," the Doctor said to her.

"Do you think it odd that you have five brothers that are you?" Imiko said.

"You have no idea how odd it is…" he said as the other brothers laughed hysterically. "Having Alan was odd enough but to find two other Doctors and their clones and now we run around together…not to mention three Roses, three Jennys, two Jacks, two Donnas, two Rains…"

Imiko laughed.

"Congratulations on being able to tell each other apart then, Doctor-san," she said to him.

"We worked out a system like dressing differently or wearing our hair differently," he said. "Course Alan here is in a class all by himself."

"I'm the court jester of the sextuplets," Alan said, glancing up from his DS.

"Got that right," Tara said. "The weird, psycho court jester."

She ducked when Alan kept his eyes on his game and tried to grab at her head.

"Where's the other women? Did you take a diversion and everyone but you ended up in the Black Hole of Calcutta?" Adam asked Tara.

"No, the bathrooms were kinda full. I managed to snag the last one and they had to wait."

"What'd ya do, run over everyone's head to get to it?" Ianto said.

"Ba-zang! Score one for my hubby!" Jack said as he gave Ianto a high-five.

"I try," Ianto said, shrugging.

"Alan! There it is again!" Adam yelled as he jabbed his finger at the screen.

Alan looked up and set his DS down when the little German guy began to talk.

"Yes! Here it is, Brother," he said to the Doctor.

The Doctor and Theta watched it.

"DE-LOOOOOOOOPTIOUS HOT DOGGIES!" the clones and Jack yelled when the German man said the line.

Doc looked at his counterparts.

"Now was that bit that funny?" he asked them.

"No," Theta said, shaking his head.

"Aw, you old men are just sticks in the mud sometimes," Adam said.

"And you clones are a tad immature sometimes," Doc replied. "Sometimes it's hard to believe you're all me."

"Well, we're the wacky, offbeat side of ya," Adam said as John nodded. "Trust me; I used to be all serious before Alan helped me loosen up."

"And me," John said. "I nearly lost Rosie because Jackie hammered into me that I should be responsible and serious."

"Thank the gods his Jackie's different," Adam said, pointing at the Doctor. "At least there's one sane Jackie in all of reality."

Jackie stuck her head over the side of the truck.

"Correction, two sane Jackies," Adam said while they laughed.

They glanced over when the other women finally came out.

"Well, look who finally escaped from the Black Hole of Calcutta!" Adam called to them.

Tara laughed when the women stopped and gave him an odd look before continuing on.

"Have no idea what that means and I don't think I wanna know," Donna said to the other women as they climbed up into the truck beds.

Rain settled down beside the Doctor and Sokanon.

"What were you talking about?" she asked him.

He chuckled.

"We were just entertaining Imiko with our usual antics," the Doctor said.

He wrapped his arm around her and she, Sokanon and Tara snuggled up against him as Flash Gordon started.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"Klytus, I'm boooored, what plaything can you offer me today?"

"An obscure body in the SK system, your Majesty, the inhabitants refer to it as the planet…Eaaarth."

"How peaceful it looks."

A gloved hand pushes a red button and a volcano erupts as the man laughs.

"Hey look, Brother, almost every villain you've ever battled," Alan said, pointing to the erupting volcano on the screen while the Doctor laughed.

"Yeah and I'm sure they've all had a conversation similar to that," the Doctor replied.

He raised his eyebrow when the camera panned across a console and they saw several sinister things listed.

"Wow, hot hail to devastate Planet Earth with?" Alan said, reading one of them. "That sounds like fun actually. I'd love to push that button and see people run from hot hail."

A bass pulsated out of the speaker and then a lightning bolt flashed on screen as Queen sang…

FLASH, AAAAAAAAAH! SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!

"Oh yeah, I forgot Queen recorded this song," Jack said to everyone. "I used to get drunk and sing it in the pubs back in the 1980's."

He, Alan and Adam shared a look.

"FLASH, AAAAAAAAAAH! HE'LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!" they said in falsetto voices as everyone laughed.

Jack looked around them but by now most of the cars had gone home, leaving a wide swath of empty space around them. He shrugged and resumed his high-pitched caterwauling while Alan, Adam and John joined in.

"Have you ever seen this movie, Daddy?" Sokanon asked the Doctor.

"No, I haven't, Sweetie. I've heard of it and I've seen these old Flash Gordon movie serials that were made back in the 1930's but this is a new one for me."

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The family snickered at the movie.

"Oh, this is great," Jack said aloud. "Weird movie sets, outlandish costumes, crappy acting. No wonder they put this on last. I'm surprised there isn't a Ming the Merciless somewhere out there."

"There is one," the Doctor teased, leaning up. "He goes by different names but trust me, I've battled this sort of villain eighty trillion times in my lives. About one quarter of them act like this."

"You mean all campy and over the top?" Ianto said.

"Exactly," the Doctor replied while they laughed. "In fact, the Master himself wore something similar to Ming's outfit during my Eighth life only it was black and red instead of red and gold. And Koschei's said some outlandish things in his lives, trust me. And I've seen hundreds of planets similar to Mongo. This is just a trip down memory lane for me."

"Yes, Flash is you and Dale and Zarkoff are almost every companion you've ever had in your lives," Alan said while he sniggered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They all laughed when Dale Arden, dressed in a skimpy orange slave girl outfit did a cartwheel into the hallway and shot a guard in the chest. The guards of Ming were dressed in long red robes with red gloves. Their heads were covered by a mask that had big black lenses and a nozzle similar to a gas mask. They laughed harder when the guard let out a high-pitched pig-like squeal as it slowly sank to the floor and died.

"Why are the guards all squealing like pigs when they get killed?" Awinita called to them.

"Perhaps it's the same concept as the pig alien the Slitheen made, only bigger," the Doctor said to her. "Never mind them. I'd love to see my wife dressed in her outfit and do that little cartwheel before shooting it. That would have been impressive."

"Or Rose," Alan said.

"Yes, or Rose…or even Mickey."

"Shut up, Doctor," Rose said as everyone laughed hysterically.

"Mickey dressed in a skimpy rhinestone barely there slave outfit would have been more horrifying than anything on Friday the 13th," Jack said.

"And he'd probably end up dying because I'd be laughing so hard, I wouldn't have time to help him," the Doctor said.

He chuckled and glanced at Alan.

"This is brilliant," he said to him.

"I know, a great way to end a wonderful evening," Alan replied. "And now that Namid has her eyesight, we need to do this more often."

"Yes, I wanna come back and do this again, Daddy!" Namid yelled over to him.

"We will," the Doctor said as the children cheered that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After an hour and a half, the movie was finished. Everyone helped clean up the trash and put it in the oil drums that served as trash receptacles that were outside the doors of the building. Once they were through with that, the children climbed up into the Doctor's truck and snuggled down under the covers to shield themselves from the cold air that would soon be whooshing over their bodies. The Doctor and Rain climbed up in the bed with them along with Imiko. Alan drove the truck with Rose sitting beside him. Jack drove the second truck with Ianto beside him and Doc drove the third with John beside him. Once they were secure, Alan started the truck up and the others followed him as he slowly followed the few remaining cars off the lot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When they got back to New Gallifrey, it was the middle of the day and the sun was out and shining but everyone was exhausted.

"I think we should all have a kip and recharge ourselves," the Doctor said to everyone while they stood in his house.

He smiled at Imiko.

"And I expect you have things that need to be done?" he said to her.

"Yes, but…I promised you a shrine where I could come and visit," Imiko replied.

"Oh yes, my back garden is out here," the Doctor said, going to the back door.

Everyone followed him and watched with anticipation as Imiko stepped outside ahead of them and looked around. The back garden was spacious with a couple of trees and a small belowground pool. Several toys lay scattered around it. Imiko chose a spot under one of the trees. The one on the right had purple leaves with small black berries on it. She closed her eyes and everyone gasped when a bright light grew next to the tree. When it faded, a small wooden temple had formed there, complete with Torii gate and a kitsune statue.

"If you want to visit with me, come inside," she said to them as she pointed to the open doorway in the front of the building. "Call to me and I'll come and visit with you."

"Thank you, Imiko," Rain said.

"Hai and now I have one last gift I want to leave you. Since I can't be here all the time, I want to leave one of my servants who will watch over and protect you and keep my updated on what's going on here. Rei, come to me!"

There was another flash of light and a large fox appeared. The children squealed with delight as it came towards them and they petted it.

"Rei is one of my servants. She is very loyal and friendly and I assure you, she is potty trained," Imiko said.

"Thank you, we haven't had a pet in ages," the Doctor said, reaching down to pet Rei when she came up to him.

"And now, I must go for the moment but I will look in from time to time now that I have this here. But thank you all again for the wonderful evening. I enjoyed it very much."

"We enjoyed your company as always, Imiko," Alan said. "Hurry back!"

"Hai, I will."

She smiled when the children gathered around her and said their goodbyes. She gave them all hugs and gave everyone a hug before she stepped back. With a wave, a bright light surrounded her and she vanished from view. Once she was gone, the Doctor let out a sigh and scratched Rei's head.

"Well, like I said, I think we should all get a little rest before we decide what we want to do next, eh? So everyone who is not a member of this particular house, clear off! Scram! Vamoose! Mosey! Go, go, go!"

They all laughed. The Doctor hugged the members of his family who were leaving and walked with them to the front door. He, Rain and the triplets stood and watched them go and when everyone had left, the Doctor ordered the triplets into bed. He stood for a moment with Rain watching as Rei followed them upstairs and then with a kiss on his wife's lips, she and him followed them upstairs to their bedroom.

THE END.


End file.
